The Best, The Beautiful, The Ghostbusters
by Winter's Light Blossom
Summary: Hope returns with the guys as things start to occur in the city of New York. The Ghostbusters are back in business to help fend off whatever comes their way, including struggling relationships and hurtful memories. Egon/OC. Sequel to 'Stay Puft'.
1. Chapter 1: 5 Years Later

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters...**

Hope looked around at the bookshelf and then back down at the book she held in her hands. She looked to her left at the other bookshelf, finding herself confused of where she was supposed to place the book.

"Where does this go again Ray!?" She called out to her brother, who sat perched on a stool behind the front counter, reading a paranormal book like always.

"On the back bookshelf Hope!" He called without looking up as Hope looked back at the shelves in front of her. Her eyes moved slowly over the many shelves.

"There's a lot of back bookshelves here!" She went to place the book on a shelf and then decided against it, not wanting to put it in the wrong spot and pay for it later. She looked behind her towards the front of the store, agitated with Ray, and scoffed, "Screw this...!"

She placed the book on top of a stack that sat on a small table in a corner. She walked back out to the front and leaned against the counter, her hands laced together.

"Find the shelf?" Ray asked as he continued to read his book. Hope's eyes narrowed at him and she sighed, shaking her head, "Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried about it." She laughed and leaned her head on her hands, "You're the one who's going to put it back anyhow."

"True. Want to find a couple of cult books for me?" Hope lifted her head and stared at him with an eyebrow arched, "It's for a customer that's coming in later."

"No, not really, but I will. Just for you." She laughed again and took the slip of paper he handed her. She read over the title of the book and walked to the shelf across from the counter. She gently let her hand trail over the bindings of the books, reading each of their names quietly to herself.

"Why are you here Hope?"

"What?" Hope laughed as she read over another books binding.

"I can manage the shop by myself." Ray answered as he shut the book and pulled the glasses off his head. Hope shrugged as she pulled a book from the shelf and placed it on the counter.

"Because I know business has been slow lately." Hope smiled sadly and walked back to the shelf to begin looking for another book listed on the piece of paper, "I knew you were a little stressed. So I thought a little help couldn't hurt and maybe a little social interaction with the living would be good for you."

"Very funny." Ray scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Did Egon tell you that I was stressed?"

Hope heard the sourness in his voice as he put his glasses back on. She let her hand drop from the book bindings and licked her lips, slightly annoyed.

"No, Egon didn't...and he doesn't have to inform me about what the hell is going on with my brother." Hope scoffed and began looking for the book again. She found one with a similar name and pulled it from the shelf, looking it over. When she found that it wasn't the right one she placed it back and looked on a lower shelf.

The bell attached to the front door of the store rang and footsteps sounded in the small shop. Egon looked from Ray and then to Hope, looking as though he was slightly on edge.

"Hi Hun." Egon walked up to Hope, giving her a small kiss on the cheek and walked over to the counter, "There's trouble Ray."

"What kind of trouble?" Ray asked from behind his book he had begun reading again. Hope stood up with the book she had been looking for in hand and set it on the other side of the counter. She leaned against them, curious about the conversation and stared up at Egon.

"Dana Barrett came to me and said that her stroller ran away from her today, dodging cars and people. Like it had someone controlling it." Egon speculated as he wrapped an arm around Hope's waist.

"Wait a minute." Hope began, looking from Ray to Egon, "Dana Barrett from five years ago? Peter's Dana?"

"Peter can't find out Hope. Dana asked specifically if we could keep him out of this and not tell him about going to check on the baby this afternoon." Egon answered as Hope shook her head, knowing that they could never keep Peter from finding out. The bell on the front door rang again and a man wearing a black trench coat came to the counter.

"How may I help you?" Ray asked as he looked up with a smile on his face.

"I called earlier about two books." The man answered and Ray nodded his head as Hope slid the books she was leaning on over to him. She walked over to the back shelves and searched for another book, one she knew Egon would be asking for. She came back to the front, flipping through pages, and handed the open book to Egon, smiling.

"Here you go. That'll be forty-three fifty sir." Ray rang the man up and packed the books into a plastic bag, "Give my best to the coven!"

"Ray listen to this," Egon spoke somewhat excitedly as he pointed down to a paragraph in the book Hope had given him, "Berlin 1939 a flower cart took off by itself and rolled half a kilometer, 300 eye witnesses."

"Berlin huh?" Ray asked as he stood up from the stool. Egon nodded and closed the book, setting it back down on the counter. Hope took the book and walked to the back, trying to find where she had gotten it to put it back. Ray moved to the bookshelf across from the counter, Egon following, "You know we should also check the university for any average stuff on controlled psychic kinesis."

"Ah, perhaps you can help me." A familiar voice sounded from the front door as someone shut it behind them, "I'm looking for a love potion arousal that I could spray on a certain penthouse pet to obtain her total submission."

Hope stopped trying to find a home for the book she held and listened in on the voice, knowing it well. She set the book down where she had placed the other she couldn't find a home for and began walking to the front of the store.

"Hello Venkman." Egon greeted dully as he opened a book Ray had found. Ray walked to the counter again and sat down on the stool. Peter took off his coat, setting it where ever he could find a place, and moved to Egon.

"Hi, Egon. How's school?" He asked with a sarcastic smile. Egon looked at him with the same look, "I bet those science chicks really dig that large cranium of yours, huh?"

Peter smiled as did Ray. Hope walked quietly to the counter behind Peter and looked over at Egon with a smirk as she leaned against it.

"I think they're more interested in my epididymis." Egon answered as he closed the book in his hands and stared down at Peter. Hope laughed as Peter scoffed.

"They can be interested as long as there's no show and tell." Hope commented and hoisted herself up onto the counter top. Peter looked behind him at Hope, his face twisted in shock.

"When did you get back from Greece, Princess?" He asked as he moved to her sultry. Hope laughed and opened her arms to him.

"Hi Pete." Peter gave her an odd smirk and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up as he gave her a bear hug, "About a week ago."

"And you didn't call? I feel so used and abused." Peter joked as he let her go, setting her back on the counter top. Hope shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, but when I got back Egon just couldn't keep his hands off me long enough to make a call." Hope laughed and looked over at Egon, giving him a wink, "His epididymis kept me busy all day and night long."

Peter looked over at Egon with a blank look before smiling, "You hound."

"New subject **please**." Ray suggested from behind Hope. Hope cursed at herself for forgetting her brother was within earshot and looked back at him apologetically. Peter moved beside Hope and placed his palms onto the counter, staring at Ray.

"Ray let's close this place up so you can buy me a calzone." Peter suggested as Hope looked over at Egon again, giving him a warm smile.

"I really can't do that right now. I'm working on something, but your book came in." Ray placed his pipe into his mouth and reached below the counter, pulling out a leather bound book, "Magical Paths to Fortune and Power."

"Thank you." Peter took the book from Ray, opening it up to flip through several pages.

Egon shook his head, looking over Peter's shoulder at the book, "Good luck with that Venkman."

Hope gave a small laugh and watched as Egon came up on her other side, book open in hand.

"Put this on my account please." Peter motioned towards his book and Ray nodded his head as he began reading his book again.

"Ray look at this." Egon handed Ray the book he had.

"Oh yeah." Ray remembered as he read over the page Egon had opened the book to. Egon looked back at Hope and moved between her legs until his abdomen touched the counter top. He let his hands rest on her lower back as he looked between Peter and Ray, hoping Peter didn't catch on.

"What're you guys working on?" Peter asked as he looked over from Hope and Egon to Ray, who had his noise in his book. Ray lifted his head slowly.

"Uh...well we're just kind of-"

"Ahem..." Egon gave a small cough as he looked away from Ray.

"...Checking something out for an old friend." Ray responded to Peter's question.

"Neat, who?" Peter pushed on as he gave a sarcastic smile. Hope sighed and leaned her head against Egon, wrapping her arms around his waist. Ray looked up slowly from his book, unsure of how to answer.

"Uh, um, uh..." Ray looked over at Hope and Egon. The phone began ringing, pulling his attention to it, "Hello, Ray's Occult. How may I help you?"

Hope watched Ray and then looked back to Egon, her hands gripping at the collar of his suit. Egon smiled down at her and leaned down, ready to kiss her, when a loud cry from Ray circled the room.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow...!" Peter had Ray by the ears, pinching them with his nails.

"Who is it Ray?" Peter asked as he dug his nails deeper.

"Peter stop!" Hope scolded as she dropped her hands from Egon's suit collar to hit Peter on the arm, "Let him go!"

"I can't say Peter!" Ray howled out as he tried to shake Peter's hands from his ears, "Ow, I can't...Dana Barrett!"

Peter's face completely fell at the name. Slowly he dropped his hands from Ray's ears and looked over at Egon and Hope.

"**My** Dana Barrett?" He asked, already knowing their answer. Hope nodded her head and then looked down, not wanting to keep a gaze with him. He scoffed and looked away from them all.

"We're going to see her in an hour." Hope spoke out as she sighed. Egon and Ray's eyes landed on her, both of them confused at why she would tell Peter that after Dana had specifically asked for him not to know.

"Good, I'll meet you there." Peter nodded his head and scooped up his book. He took one last look at the three and walked out of the store.

"I know you heard me when I told you and Ray that Dana said not to tell Venkman." Egon scolded her as she stared up at him. Hope nodded her head and cupped his cheeks with her hands.

"Egon if you were Peter and I was Dana wouldn't you want to know if something paranormal or not had happened to me and make sure I was okay?" Hope theorized as she let her hands fall to his arms. Egon stood silent for a moment, finding himself in a trap that only a girl could stir up. If he said no he was in deep trouble and yes meant that she was right in telling Venkman. Both options he didn't like and what he didn't like even more was the trap that he knew would come after he gave his answer, no matter _how _he answered.

"I'm not Peter and you're definitely not Dana." Egon tried arguing.

"Are you saying Dana's better than me?" Hope crossed her arms over her chest. There it was; the second trap that only a girl would set. Egon looked over at Ray, eyes wide and afraid of what to say next. Ray shook his head and looked back down at his book, as if to say 'you dug your own grave'. Egon looked back at Hope, trying to think of what to say next.

"I didn't mean that Dana is better. She's not in any way." Egon began as he watched Hope's narrowed eyes begin to soften. He thought over what his next words would be, hoping he wouldn't fall into another trap, "I just meant that their relationship is nothing like ours. Of course I'd be worried about you if something were to happen and of course I would want to know. You know I would."

"I know Egon." Hope smiled at him and gave him a gentle squeeze on the arm, "Just tell me I'm the most beautiful woman you've seen, that you're the luckiest guy to have me, and that you love me now and forever."

Hope laughed and watched as Egon's face stayed blank for a moment before he spoke quickly and rehearsdly, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have you. I love you now and forever."

"Why thank you Egon." Hope grinned and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, "I love you too."

Hope weasled from his grasp, jumping off the counter top. She looked to Ray and then back at Egon.

"Where are you going?" Ray asked as Hope had begun walking away. She stopped and turned to look at them.

"I still have books that I need to find a home for before we leave." Hope grinned as she walked away to the back. Egon and Ray watched her go and when she was gone from sight they looked to each other.

"That was a close one Egon." Ray commented as he set his open book on the counter top and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah." Egon admitted as he felt the small weight lift from his shoulders.

"Hope may seem really confident in herself on the outside, but inside...she's a mess." Ray's voice went lower as he stared at Egon with a spark in his eyes, "You start talking about other women as if you're interested and that's it. Game over pal."

"Thanks Ray, but I know that." Egon grit out as he looked back to where Hope had gone, "And I can't imagine being with anyone except Hope."

The room fell silent as both men couldn't think of what to say next. Hope appeared in the doorway to the back and looked between them.

"Did someone say my name?" Hope asked as she looked from Egon to Ray and then back. Both men looked at each other and then slowly shook their heads. Hope gave a shrug and smiled, "Okay then."

She headed back through the doorway as Ray stared at Egon, watching her as she went.


	2. Chapter 2: The Look

I redid this chapter because I got such a better idea for the future of this story.

-Winter

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

"So where's Pete?" Hope asked as they all walked down the familiar hallway, going to Dana's apartment. They stopped at her door as Ray knocked and gave a shrug as a response to Hope. Hope looked back down the hall, expecting to see Peter jogging towards them, late as always.

"I'll get it!" Dana's voice rang out from behind the door and then suddenly was standing before them, "Hi."

"Hi Dana." Ray answered back first and gave her a small hug. Hope watched as Egon walked in next and gave Dana a handshake instead of a hug, probably because he was worried about upsetting her again.

"Hi Hope." Dana looked back at Hope and then gave a small laugh, "How are you?"

"Hi Dana." Hope smiled brightly as she gave the older woman a hug, "I'm alright. It's good to see you."

"You too." Dana began to close the door, but a hand stopped her. Peter pushed the door open and walked into the apartment.

"I know I'm just asking for the big hurt, but I thought I'd give it one more chance." Peter spoke up as he looked around the apartment and then let his eyes land slowly on Dana, "Hello Dana."

"Sorry Dana. He pulled my ears." Ray admitted and rubbed his ears, remembering the pain. Hope looked between Peter and Dana, seeing a spark in both their eyes; Peter's of infatuation and Dana's of despise. For moments the room stood in an uneasy silence and then Dana looked back at us, turning away from Peter.

"So, what would you like to do first?" Dana asked, breaking the silence.

"We would like to examine the baby." Egon answered as Dana walked over to the dinning table where the baby was.

"Also, anything associated with the baby. Um, like stuffed toys and where he sleeps." Ray spoke up as he, Egon, and Hope to where Dana stood, holding the baby. Dana sat the baby on top of the table as she spoke softly to him. Egon and Ray went straight to work, beginning to discuss with each other over what they thought was going on. Hope stood beside Ray and stared down at the baby with a small smile.

"He's very handsome Dana." Hope looked over at Dana with a bright smile on her lips. Before Dana could retort back music floated in the air as Peter stood, plucking the cello. Everyone looked over at him as Dana sighed and walked away from her baby to Peter.

"Have you ever done this before?" Ray asked as he looked from the baby to Egon.

"On a chimp." Egon replied, his uncertainty coming through his voice.

"If you two hurt him, I hurt you." Hope threatened and turned back to the baby. She smiled down at him again when he looked to her. He gave a bubbly laugh and smiled back.

"Hi there...!" Hope whispered happily to the baby as he caught a hold on one of her wagging fingers. Ray watched her from the corner of his eyes as Hope played with the baby. This was the first time in a long while that he had seen her able to smile with a baby in the room.

"You alright?" Ray whispered, only for Hope to hear it. Hope looked over at him, confused a little.

"What do you mean?" She asked as she bobbed her finger that the baby had a hold of up and down. Ray looked at Hope and then nodded his head slightly towards the baby. Hope followed his eyes and looked down at the infant tugging on her finger.

"You seem like you're starting to feel better since..." Ray looked over at Egon, making sure he wasn't hearing any of their conversation, and looked back to her, "...the incident."

Hope eyes stayed on the baby as she fell quiet. She wagged her finger that was still in the baby's grip again and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I'm not sure." Hope spoke up finally and looked back at him, knowing fully well what he was about to say back.

"You know, it wasn't your fault and I'm sure he-"

"I'm not sure what?" Egon cut Ray off, finally noticing the two were talking about something that struck a nerve in them both. Ray shook his head, ending the conversation, and looked down at the recorder he had in his hands.

"Subject is a male Caucasian, approximately twenty-four inches in length. He weighs eighteen pounds and is about eight months old." He spoke calmly into the recorder. Egon looked from Ray to Hope, hoping to get an answer from her, but she shook her head as well and looked back at the baby. Confused, Egon kneeled before the baby and looked him over, searching for abnormalities as Ray continued to speak into the recorder.

"Reflexes," Ray spoke and each of them took one of the babies arms, beginning to tickle him.

"Appears to be ticklish." Egon concluded, letting go of the baby's arm.

"Yup, baby is ticklish." Ray also concluded and clicked the recorder off. Hope gave a laugh towards the two and looked back at the baby, giving him a silly face.

"They're so strange." Hope spoke softly to the baby and laughed again when the baby suddenly let out a high pitched squeal. Dana walked back over, Peter following closely behind her.

"So what's the conclusion?" Peter asked. Hope looked over at Egon and Ray.

"He's fine Dana." Egon answered, removing a piece of equipment off his head.

"Where do you put him when he sleeps?" Ray asked as Egon began putting things away. Hope stood up to let Ray pass by her, following Dana into the baby's room.

"Venkman, would you get a stool sample for me?" Egon handed Peter a round container and then ushered Hope into the baby's room with himself.

"Sorry, it's messy." Dana told them as she tried picking a few things up off the floor. Hope gave a small laugh, looking around the room.

"Looks like Egon's office at the University." She commented as Ray handed her the yellow stuffed dinosaur he had just finished checking. Egon looked over at her, not expression on his face. All Hope could do was shake her head, roll her eyes, and smile.

"Very cheerful." Egon spoke up as he walked around the small room, "My parents didn't believe in toys."

Hope's eyes grew wide at this hidden piece of information that had been kept from her. She thought back to when she and Ray had been kids and remembered each and every one of the toys they had.

"Help he's gone completely berserk! Help!" Peter's voice rang through the apartment, catching everyone's attention. Dana walked out of the room and Hope couldn't help but to peek. There Peter was holding the baby up and pretending the baby was biting his nose. Hope smiled and looked over at the boys, her eyes landing on Egon. Her smile slowly fell as she hugged the yellow dinosaur closer to her as she fell into her thoughts.

"You mean you never had a slinky?" Ray's voice brought Hope from her distant dreaming. She looked over at Egon and Ray, wondering how long she had been standing there.

"We had part of a slinky." Egon answered and looked over at Ray, "but I straightened it."

Hope gave a small smile and hugged the dinosaur again. Ray climbed under the baby's crib, scanning it for anything unusual as Egon noticed the look on Hope's face. A small voice in the back of his head called out for him to ignore the expression and get back to his work, but he ignored the voice instead and dropped the meter to his side. He moved to her and set the meter down on the dresser beside her, looking back at her.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, laying his hands gently on both of her upper arms. Hope nodded her head and placed the stuffed dinosaur on the dresser, turning back to hug Egon. She shut her eyes and got as close to Egon as she could. Though Egon was slightly confused as to what was wrong, he wrapped his arms around her anyway and rubbed her back gently.

"Nothing. Not. A. Thing." Ray concluded when he came back out from under the crib, startling the couple who could only stare at him. He sat on the floor for a moment and then looked to them, "Let's check where the carriage took off in the street."

Ray got up from the floor and walked out of the room, surely to get Dana and Peter. Hope, for the moment, wanted nothing more to do with the paranormal and only wanted to deal with the normal instead. She let go of Egon and leaned back against the dresser, her eyes cast downwards. Egon began to move and stopped when he realized Hope wasn't following.

"Hope? Aren't you coming?" He asked anxiously as he took a quick glance out the door and then looked back at her. She looked around the room and then back at him, slowly nodding her head when something Ray had told her recited itself in her head. She felt a weight suddenly placed on her heart as she took the hand Egon held out to her.

Before they knew it they were all outside, starring into the busy streets of New York. They stood on the sidewalk as Dana tried to recall where the carriage had been, looking left to right and then left again.

"There! It stopped right over there." Dana pointed to a spot in the middle of the busy street and then suddenly Peter began walking out into traffic.

"Peter stop!" Hope called out as he passed her. She tried to snatch his jacket, but missed several times and nearly fell into the street herself. Ray caught the back of her own jacket as Egon helped her stand up straight again.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Peter shouted towards the cars that honked and revived their engines. They all crossed the street while Peter played traffic guard, Egon still holding Hope's hand, and stopped by a sewer drain. Egon and Ray bent down by it with their nifty gadgets in hand and looked at each other, a gleam in both their eyes.

"What?" Dana asked from where she stood beside Peter across from them. Hope looked between the two different meters they held, instantly knowing what was going through their heads, "What is it?"

"There's somethin' brewin' under the city." Ray grinned as he looked back at his meter, "Off the charts!"

"2.5 gdp's on the GaGa Meter." Egon chimed in, his excitement hanging on to each word.

"Damn it..." Hope whispered harshly, already foreseeing what was going to come next and hating it. Dana looked over at her for a moment and then to Peter beside her.

"So, what does that mean?" Dana asked as she pulled the coat she had on tighter around herself. Egon and Ray stood up straight and looked over at Peter. Hope sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Egon continue to play with the meter he held.

"It means digging up half the street tonight." Hope announced as she looked over at Dana, "fun..."


	3. Chapter 3: Bow Bridge

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters**.

Night fell quickly over the city and still it was bustling as though the sun had never gone down. There were signs with bright colored lights, loud noises coming from every direction, and people walking the streets everywhere without a care.

Tonight Hope was alone...again. She sat quietly within her and Egon's white bricked townhouse, which was settled on an avenue called Adams. The house was quiet apart from the occasional tick of the clocks and creaks from the old wood floors. The home was simple with its furniture yet held an air of elegance to it with the rich shades of blues, browns, yellows, and reds the walls were painted. It was just the way Hope liked it.

Hope sat in one of the two spare rooms on the second floor in the pale yellow Grecian couch by the double windows. The book she had been reading sat limp in her lap as she looked through the windows and out into the night. She wasn't exactly mad at Egon, but more just feeling lonely in general. She understood what Egon's worked entailed when she met him, but she was quickly becoming sick of sitting at home alone most nights. Egon was always so engrossed in his work at the University and now the situation with Dana was only going to make things worse.

Hope looked back down at the black and white of the books pages when a loud laugh came from down below. She let the book fall again and looked back out the windows. She watched as a couple walked passed holding each others hands with large smiles on their faces. She looked back at the book in her lap and shut it, setting it on the small table beside her.

Her eyes landed on a picture of her and Egon. It was taken two years ago on the Bow Bridge in Central Park. In it Egon and Hope were beside each other as close as they could get, almost grinning. Behind them was the city, the water, and the trees of the park. Hope had taken a lot of pictures that day, but this one she cherished the most because of what had caused their grins. She picked it up from the table and stared down at it with a smile as she remembered that day:

_It was May 12__th__ and the sun was shinning brightly over the entire city._

_"Ready to go?" Egon asked with his hands in his pockets as he watched her walk down the steps in a white flowing skirt and a light blue off-the-shoulder peasant shirt that Peter had insisted she buy the last time the Ghostbusters had all gone out together. Hope gave a small laugh and nodded her head of light golden blonde curls as she stepped down off the stairs. They walked outside and began down the sidewalk heading towards a place Egon wouldn't reveal to her._

_Every now and then she stole a look at him, noticing how nervous he seemed to be. As much as she tried she couldn't figure out why though. She decided to push the thought away and encircled his arm with hers, leaning her head against his shoulder._

_Finally they ended up at one of the many entrances to Central Park. Hope looked from the trellis of tall willow trees to Egon._

_"...you remembered." She whispered softly with a small, but very happy smile. __Hope's smile seemed permanent on her lips, even after she placed a small kiss on Egon's cheek. She was ecstatic that he had remembered all those years that she had never been to Central Park._

_They walked through the park till they ended up on the elegant Bow Bridge. They stopped nearly halfway across it and stared at the water below. Hope leaned on the side of the bridge, looking down at the bright green leaves that floated on the water and passed beneath the bridge. She looked over at Egon, intent on saying something about the day when she noticed the look on his face._

_Egon stared off across the water through his glasses with worry etched into every part of his face. His hands were back in his pockets and fiddling with something. He was breathing deeply as though to calm himself._

_"Is everything alright Egon?" She asked trying to pull a warm smile to her lips. She heard Egon's hard gulp and whatever smile had made it to her face fell. Egon's hand stopped fiddling with whatever was in his pocket as he straightened his posture._

_"Yes, nothing's wrong. W-why would there be anything wrong?" Egon stumbled out as he turned his head and looked away. Hope gave a small giggle and shook her head as she looked back at the water. She let her elbow rest on the railing of the bridge and let her chin rest on her palm._

_"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you haven't looked at me all day?" She turned back to him and smirked, "Have I suddenly become the evil witch of the west or something?"_

_"No, it's just..." Egon began and fell short as he once again looked away from her._

_"Then what is it?" Hope prodded, hoping to find what was wrong with him. Egon looked back at her strangely and in an instant she went through three distinct stages; confusion, realization, and reaction, "Oh my God..."_

_"This is difficult for me Hope. I've never done something like this before." Egon started as he watched her face carefully, thinking she had figured everything out. A grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he took a deep breath, trying to pull himself together just enough to get out what he needed to say. This was it. He was finally going to do it._

_Hope didn't say anything back to him. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and looked down at her feet. __Her breathing picked up slightly as she felt tears rush to her eyes. __She was terribly confused. She went over everything from the last three years and nothing came to mind to explain why. What she had done wrong?_

_"You're breaking up with me?" Her voice was hushed, trying not to let her cries fall through it. Egon's grin fell from his face as the words registered in his mind. He shook his head slowly, his eyebrows knitting together in his own confusion. Hope wiped away a stray tear and crossed her arms._

_"Break-up with you?" Egon repeated, completely baffled at where she came up with it. Hope nodded her head slowly and wiped another tear away, "Why would I break-up with you, Hope? I'm in love with you."_

_Hope didn't say anything back because she had no answer for the question. Egon shook his head again. He suddenly remembered something and quickly reached into his pocket. He pulled out a gold band with three diamonds perched on it in perfect order; two smaller diamonds on the sides and the larger one in the middle. It wasn't some extravagant thing. It was simple and that's what made it perfect to her._

_"Hope, I don't want to break up with you." Egon spoke finally as he dropped to one knee as Hope let out a small laugh towards herself for being so distressed like she had. Egon held the ring out to her and took her left hand in his own, "The complete opposite actually...I want to marry you, Hope."_

Hope looked down at her left hand where the ring sat wonderfully on her finger. She smiled down softly at it and bit her bottom lip. Her eyes slowly glanced at the clock that ticked away on the wall and sighed, feeling content for the first time in the last week.

"I think I'll go pay my fiance a visit." She whispered to herself as she stood from the couch. She walked out of the room, down the stairs, pulled her coat out of the closet, and walked out the front door with a smile.

She briskly walked from one street to the next till she hit the sidewalk where Dana's apartment was on. She continued on and began to slow as the sight of hard hats, a jackhammer, and an alarmingly large hole sat in the street. Two people kneeled on the ground, lowering something into the hole. Hope slowly approached, seeing Peter and Egon.

"Where's Ray?" She asked suddenly, causing the men to jump slightly. Both of them looked to her, seeming very surprised to see her there. They looked back at one another and then to her.

"Hey, why'd you stop!?" Ray's voice surfaced from the hole and all Hope could do was close her eyes and shake her head.

Of course Ray was the one they were lowering into a vicious paranormal pit...


	4. Chapter 4: No New Surprises

Thought I should update for you, my loyal readers. So, Happy Turkey Day!!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

"In our defense, this really shouldn't surprise you." Peter commented as he gave a tug on the wire that held Ray. Hope nodded her head, agreeing with him. She crossed her arms over her chest and moved closer.

"What are you doing out here?" Egon asked as he watched her kneel beside him. Hope took a careful look into the hole, seeing only darkness.

"I got sick of being home alone and wanted to see my fiance." She stated simply as she looked over at him. She gave a small smile and looked over at Peter, "What're you guys looking for?"

"Hey, I'm in some kind of chamber!" Ray called up, catching everyone's immediate attention, "...slime...! SLIME!"

"What did he say?" Hope asked as she looked from Peter to Egon. Both of them had no idea either and gave a shrug.

"IT'S A RIVER OF SLIME!" Ray called out again from beneath them, sounding slightly frantic, "There's got to be twenty-five thousand gallons of it down here!"

"Stop tugging the line Pete." Hope slapped his hand away from the line as they all looked down into the dark hole. Hope squinted her eyes to try and spot Ray, but it was far too dark to see anything at all.

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind them. Each of them looked over to the police car that had stopped several feet away from them. A worker stepped out of the car as well as a officer and walked forward, "What's going on here?"

"What? You bone heads gonna rouse me out again!?" Peter started as they all stood up and moved several feet away from the hole, "I've got three thousand phone lines I gotta check. I got eight million miles of cable I gotta check and you're gonna come and shake my money tree again!?"

"What're you talking about?" The worker asked, completely confused by what Peter was saying, "The phone lines are over there."

All of them looked over at the other side of the street where the worker pointed to. Hope looked down at the ground from where she stood behind the two and shook her head, feeling as though she should have just stayed home tonight. She looked over at Peter with a look that said 'now what?'. Peter stayed silent for a moment and then slowly he looked to Egon.

"What did I say to you?" Peter looked at him and then hit his hardhat, "The phone lines are over there! What did I say!?"

"Hey! Hey!" The officer called out as Peter went to hit Egon again. Each of them looked to the officer, "You're not with Conade or the phone company. We checked. So tell me another one."

Peter and Egon fell completely silent, unsure of what to say next. Hope looked over at the hole and saw steam flow up into the air. She threw something together and covered her nose, putting on her best disgusted face she could manage.

"Ugh, what is that smell?" She stated and pinched her nose. She looked away for a moment and then looked back at the hole, "And what is that steam?"

"...I've got a major gas leak here!" Peter put what she was doing together and began walking back to the hole. He looked at the steam rising from it and then back at the cop, "Where do you think all this is coming from!? The sky!?"

Peter pointed at the hole where more steam rose from and looked back at the officer and the worker once more. Hope looked at the hole strangely, swearing she could hear something that sounded like a yell come from deep within it.

"Hey, pull me up! Pull me up!!" Ray called out as Peter and Egon quickly rushed to begin pulling him out. The machine the line was hooked up to began as the wire slowly retracted and coiled around like a hose, "Hurry up! Get me out of here!"

Suddenly a loud crash erupted from the hole in the street as sparks flew from it. Egon and Peter jumped back slightly from it, covering their faces. Within a second the bright lights and noises of the city ended, falling into darkness.

"Oh no, Ray..." Hope whispered as she tried to spot either Peter or Egon through the pitch black. There was only one thing that would come from all their 'research' tonight...

"Alright, you're under arrest." The familiar sentence Hope had become so accustomed to split through the night air as a set of emergency lights flickered on in the street. The officer recited their rights and began to cuff Ray, Egon, and Peter. Hope stood back and watched the scene, knowing she could do nothing for them at the moment.

"Tell Louis to get together our case! We'll be out in no time Hope!" Ray called out as the officer pushed him into the back of the police car.

"Get our suits from the dry cleaners and your's too!" Peter yelled out as he was pushed into the car after Ray, "We need you there Princess!"

Hope watched as the officer pushed Egon into the car last. She waited for him to say something like the others had, but when nothing came she wasn't too shocked. She wanted him to say something; anything. Even just a simple, 'Everything will be alright', would have been nice, but that just wasn't who he was and she knew that.

She had even told Janine five years ago that: _"The place he feels at home is with his science. Science to him is...simple and organized. Anything else is like the way we look at calculus; complicated and puzzling."_

Egon was...rational. He relied on his intellect rather then relying on his emotions or feelings that could in the end steer him wrong and get him hurt.

Hope shook her head as Egon looked out the window of the car at her. Hope stared back with a small smile and gave a small nonchalant wave. Little did she know Egon had fought with himself in that small second of being pushed into the car.

Through his rational side he saw no point in saying anything. It wouldn't have helped the situation and it probably wouldn't have made Hope feel any better. Through his emotional side though...he had wanted to say something to her, but what could he have said? 'I'm sorry that I keep getting arrested all the time', what would that have solved?

Egon **knew** that on the surface there wasn't anything to be said, but below...below the surface he wished he had said something; _anything _at all. He wished he could be more impulsive like Hope wanted him to be.

Hope watched the officer walk around to the driver's seat. Hope gave another small wave as the car pulled out and drove down the street, heading to the police station. She watched it until it disappeared and then began on her way home through the very dimly lit city. She listened to people complain about their power being out and could only give a small laugh, saying over in her head, 'only the Ghostbusters'.

She climbed the stone steps and opened up the door to the darkened house. For a moment she just stood there, looking in with a blank stare as questions filled her head.

Would Egon be able to think his way out of jail again?

Yes.

Was this how it was always going to be for her and Egon? Egon always getting himself into trouble, getting arrested, near death experiences that only the Ghostbusters could find?

Yes.

Was she ready to live the rest of her life like this?

Yes.

"If it gets me Egon..." She laughed as she flipped on the lights to the deep blue foyer. She closed the front door and locked it, leaning her head against it for a moment. She placed her coat back into the closet and climbed the stairs. She walked into the bedroom and laid down on her side of the bed and looked to where Egon should be, but wasn't...again.

Suddenly, the telephone rang from the nightstand beside her. She looked over at it for a moment and then picked it up.

"Future residence of Mr. and Mrs. Spengler. How may I help you?" Hope spoke into the receiver.

"Hope? Hope is that you?" Louis frantic voice came from the other end.

"Louis do you have any idea what time it is?" Hope asked, a little annoyed.

"I know. I'm sorry about that, but the guys got arrested and-"

"Ah, so they called you."

"You knew?"

"I was there." Hope gave a small laugh at what she had walked into tonight and rubbed her face with her hands.

"Well, do you know where the law books went that were in the back room?"

"Are they the green ones?"

"Yeah those ones."

"I put them in a box in the garage labeled with your name." Hope closed her eyes and sighed, waiting for this conversation to be over with.

"Okay thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"You sound way too cheerful about that." Hope laughed.

"No, it's just that it happens a lot and after a while you get used to it I guess." Louis replied trying to explain himself.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Well I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh alright. Hey Hope-"

"Good night Louis." Hope hung up the phone before Louis could start on another topic. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling a moment. She thought about tomorrow and the court hearing, wondering how they were going to get out of going to jail this time. She raised her left hand up and stared at the ring it held on it. She smiled softly and played with the ring gently.

Slowly, without meaning to, her mind drifted away to what had happened almost a year ago; to what _could_ have been. She thought of the life she and Egon _would_ have had right now together. It was all gone in a swift instant, like a humming bird going from one flower to the next or like the wing of a butterfly as it gracefully flies through the air.

In an instant she could hear all the noises coming back in an earth shattering rush. She could hear the sirens of the ambulance, the screaming from herself and people around watching, and the banging of a fireman trying to get the door open.

She could smell all the scents again. The smell of rubber and leather burning, gasoline, iron beginning to heat, and dirt. She could taste the blood in her mouth again and feel the pain aching all over her body from wounds that had already healed. Then the horrible sights returned, drawing tears to her eyes.

Hope curled herself into a tight ball and tried to hold back her tears, failing in her attempts. Slowly each tear fell without resistance onto her pillow till they became a river. She opened her eyes and looked to Egon's spot wishing he was there to hold her. She pulled his pillow to her chest, holding onto it for dear life as she cried into it softly. The smell of his cologne, though bringing some comfort, brought more sadness as well.

Her tears were now not only of sorrow, but also of guilt. Guilt that she had kept something so important from Egon that day he showed up at the hospital. Guilt that she was still keeping that secret from him now.

Only she and Ray knew what it was and she had made Ray promise not to tell him, begged him not to. Egon couldn't ever find out about it. She knew what it would do to him because of what it had done to her; what it was still doing to her.

Hope cried herself to sleep holding Egon's pillow to her chest. Her dreams were filled with the incident down to the very last detail, making the sleep uneasy and unwelcoming.


	5. Chapter 5: The Hammer

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

"Before I begin this trial I want to make one thing very clear." The judge began as he looked down on Egon, Ray, and Peter. Hope sat behind them in, preparing herself to watch what was about to take place, "The lord does not recognize the existence of ghosts and I do not either. So I don't want to hear a lot of malarkey about goblins, spooks, and demons. Just stick to the facts in this case and leave the ghost stories to the kiddies. Okay?"

"Sounds like he's a really open-minded guy." Hope spoke as she leaned against the railing separating her from the boys. Ray looked back at her and nodded. Egon turned back after a moment and took one of her hands in his.

"They call him 'the hammer'." Egon spoke as he looked back at her, giving the hand he held a gentle squeeze. Hope gave a small laugh and laced her hand with his.

"It's all in the hands of our lawyer now." Ray commented as he looked down at the papers on the table in front of him. Louis walked up and dropped the green books he had called Hope about the night before.

"I think you guys are making a big mistake." He began as he looked between them all.

"So do I..." Hope whispered as she looked away from Louis, earning a sideways glance from Egon. She gave him a 'what?' look back and watched Louis.

"You guys, I do mostly fax loans and probate stuff. I got my law degree at night school." Louis tried to explain, hoping that they would rethink him being their lawyer.

"Well, that's fine Louis. We got arrested at night." Ray spoke and suddenly let his head drop onto the table top with a loud thump. Hope leaned back against her seat, causing Winston, who sat beside her to look over.

"You okay?" He asked softly as the rest of the Ghostbusters talked amongst themselves. Hope shook her head and took a deep breath. She looked over at him and sighed, praying that today the Ghostbusters luck wouldn't run out.

"Alright, alright. Quiet down." The judge spoke up as he looked out across the room, "Let's get on with it."

Louis was first to bring up an opening statement before the interrogation could begin. He stood before the judge, everyone in the court room seeing his self-confidence dwindling.

"Y-your honor. Ladies and gentlemen of th-the audience." Louis turned back around as beads of sweat formed on his brow, "I don't think it's fair to call my clients frauds. Okay so the blackout was a big problem for everyone, okay. I was stuck inside of an elevator for two hours and I had to _make_ the whole time, but I don't blame them. Cause one time I turned into a dog and they helped me. Thank you..."

Though Louis words seemed to have mushed together with his nervousness, people in the court laughed and left the judge without words of his own. Louis walked back to his seat beside Ray and stared nervously at no one in particular.

"Very good Louis; short, but pointless." Egon commented as he sat back in his seat. Hope closed her eyes and whispered under her breath, wishing this was over with already. In the pit of her stomach and the way things had started off, she knew that her and Egon's wedding would have to be put off for five to six years...

"Louis I would really like to to skip getting married in a prison courtyard." Hope spoke as she leaned forward between him and Ray. She pat him once on the shoulder and slid back into her seat. The trial went on without a recess, both parties taking turns to call up witnesses to the stand and question.

The worker from the night before, who had brought with him the cop, was brought to the stand to identify the protons packs and questioned about what had happened last night. The cop was also brought to the stand and with both the plaintiff's lawyer was winning by a land slide.

Next to the stand was Peter being questioned first by Louis. Hope sat in her seat, her palms sweating and tingling as she mindlessly played with her engagement ring.

"S-so you w-were just trying to h-help out a f-friend. Who was scared. What...?" Louis asked as everyone knew that Peter was feeding him everything he was saying, "There was n-no evil intended; no malice. Because you live here a-and when you live in a place a-and love it like you do, y-you don't want nothing bad to happen to it."

The plaintiff's lawyer stood up, ready to object to everything that had been said by Louis, a.k.a Peter.

"It was an isolated incident. It won't happen again. A one shot deal." Louis suddenly became more outspoken and louder.

"Objection your honor." The plaintiff's lawyer stood up.

"What?" Louis asked as he stepped away from Peter, honestly confused why she had called it.

"You're leading the witness." She tried to make him understand.

"Sustained." The judge roared out.

"Give me a break. We're both lawyers." Louis spoke to the other lawyer and turned to the judge.

"Did he just ask for a break...?" Hope asked as she leaned forward between Ray and Egon. Both nodded, looking forward with blank expressions as though looking into their darkening futures.

"Mr. Tully, do you have any questions for this witness?" The judge asked. Louis stared at the judge for a moment and then looked over at Peter.

"Do I?" Hope smacked herself in the face and fell back into her seat. She could have done a better job then Louis was doing and she had never taken any kind of class in law.

"No, I think we've helped them out enough already." Peter responded as he slid deeper into his seat on the stand.

"No your honor." Louis replied and sat down in his seat beside Ray again. The plaintiff's lawyer stood up and walked towards Peter.

"Dr. Venkman, would you please tell the court why it is that you and your co-defendants took it upon yourselves to dig a very big hole in the middle of first avenue." Peter stared at the lawyer a moment, trying to think of what to say.

"Please Peter, don;t be a wise ass right now..." Hope begged under her breath as she waited for him to answer.

"Well...there's so many holes in first avenue that we didn't think anyone would notice." He answered back with a few small laughs from people filling the seats behind the railing.

"Keep that up mister and I'll find you in contempt." The judge announced as he slammed his hammer twice. Hope shook her head and placed her face into the palms of her hands as the trial continued on.

"I'm truly sorry, your honor." Peter apologized, making Hope raise her head.

"I'll ask you again. Why were you digging the hole and please remember you're under oath." The lawyer asked again.

"There are somethings in this world that go way beyond human understanding. Things that cannot be explained. Things that **most people** don't want to know about." Peter began, starting to actually sound like a doctor, "That's where we come in."

Peter directed a hand back towards the rest of the Ghostbusters. Hope looked from Peter to Ray and then Egon, who returned her gaze.

"So, what're you're saying is that the world of the supernatural is your exclusive province." The lawyer walked to the stand and placed her hands firmly on the railing of it. Peter's hands clamped down on hers and after a moment of struggling let them go.

"Kitten, I think what I'm saying is that sometimes shit happens and someone has to deal with it and who you gonna call?" Cheers erupted in the court from behind where Hope sat.

"Silence!" The judge called out and began slamming his hammer, "Order! Order in the court! Silence!"

Once the cheers had fallen quiet and the court was silent again the judge looked down at a paper that had been handed to him from the bailiff. Written in poor chicken scratch was one word that would determine their future.

"Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler stand up!" He yelled out as he let the paper fall back onto his desk. Egon looked behind him at Hope. The look was difficult to read and this worried Hope even more then Louis faulty lawyering. The judge looked down on the three men again, angered by them not listening, "Get up! You too Mr.. Tully."

Hope felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest as her breathing became struggled.

"It's gonna be alright." Winston whispered as he took hold of her hand and gave her a small squeeze to calm her. Hope's eyes stayed glued to Egon as the only thing she could hear was the sound of the judge's voice.

"The court finds you, the defendants, the Ghostbusters..."

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Haha, sorry I had to make a cliffhanger. If you have watched the movies though you pretty much already know what happens next.


	6. Chapter 6: Scaleary Brothers

I am so sorry it's taken me this long to post another chapter!

Thank you my loyal readers for being so patient with me and my slow updates!

Happy holidays!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

"The court finds you, the defendants...guilty on all charges!" The judge yelled out after a moment. Ray looked back at Hope instantaneously, mixed emotions filling his eyes. Hope stared up at him, her heart stopping and breath hitching in her throat. She felt Winston pull her into a side hug, whispering something to her that she just couldn't make out at the moment. She looked to Egon, knowing that he wouldn't turn around to face her.

"Fined you the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars each. I sentence you to eighteen months in the city prison facility!" The judge's voice circled around the court.

"Twitching...It's twitching." Ray suddenly spoke up as he gently nudged Egon. Hope looked to where the pink goo sat on the evidence table and saw what they did. The pink goo began bubbling at each and every word that was either raised or angry.

"I'm not finished!" The judge roared over the people booing him. In reaction to his action the pink goo bubbled again, "Let me go on record and say that there is no place for charlatans-"

"Uh, your honor?" Egon spoke up, trying to get the judge to stop.

" SHUT UP! It's tricksters like you in society-"

"Your honor this is important!" Ray called out, hoping to get the judge's attention. The pink goo bubbled up further and suddenly the lid flew off. Hope and Winston both stood up, watching as the pink goo slid down the side of its container. Hope took hold of Egon's arm, squeezing gently as she kept her eyes on the goo.

The judge continued his rant as a strange wind circle the room suddenly, blowing papers and utensils. Egon looked back at Hope for a moment, his mouth hung open as words tried to form.

"You know what, just...hop the railing." He finally said and helped her over the railing. He pulled her down to the floor with him and the others, taking shelter beneath the table. The judge's voice got louder and angrier as he stood at his desk. The pink goo suddenly erupted into an explosion as two ghost flew out and over head.

"Wow!" Hope turned her head to Ray in stupor at his exclamation in the situation.

"Wow!? Of all times Ray!" Hope yelled at him and gave his arm a hard smack. She looked down towards Louis and then towards Peter, not seeing who she was looking for, "Where's Winston!?"

"I don't know!" Ray called out. Hope felt Egon's arm wrap around her and pull her closer to his side as they watched the ghosts fly in the court room. Everyone was screaming and trying to run from the room while the judge sat in his seat, shocked by the appearance.

"Oh my God...! The Scaleary brothers!" His voice was of fear and as soon as the name had left his lips the ghosts moved, seeming to be in a rage. The judge jumped from his seat before the ghosts blew it to sawdust and crawled to the table where the Ghostbusters were.

"Obviously you know them!" Hope called out through the noise as she watched the ghosts. She hide her head in Egon's shoulder as the strange wind picked up, blowing her hair into her face.

"I tried them for murder! Gave them the chair!" He called back as he cowered beneath the table, "You gotta do something!"

"Just tell them you don't believe in ghosts!" Egon yelled at him as he turned to look at the judge. Suddenly, the table began to rise, uncovering them all. Egon grabbed Hope's hand and pulled her behind him and the others as they ran around the room, trying to escape.

The judge hit the doors first and gave them a hard bang before turning around.

"They're locked!" He took Ray by his suit, "You gotta help me! Do something!"

"Don't talk to me. Talk to our lawyer." Ray stated simply and looked over at Louis.

"They're still under a restraining order!" Hope yelled out above the noise as she wrapped her arms around Egon's waist, shutting her eyes, and laying her head on his chest, "We could expose ourselves if we do anything!"

"And you don't want us exposing ourselves!" Peter chimed in, only Hope seeming to notice he meant it as a bad pun. Hope's eyes landed on the plaintiff's lawyer cowered in a corner on the floor, watching the ghosts over head. Hope pulled back from Egon as the ghosts spotted the lawyer and dove. Hope broke from Egon's grasp and ran at her as fast as she could.

"Hope!" Egon called out as he tried to grab her, but missed by an inch, "Hope!"

Hope dove at the lawyer, trying to grab the woman, but failed as she was lifted by the ankle into the air. She was quickly carried out of the room, kicking and screaming for dear life. Hope lay on the floor watching the path the ghosts had left, fear trickling in her bones.

"You're next bub-o!" Peter laughed and moved back towards the judge. The guys surrounded him, waiting for what they wanted to hear as Hope pushed herself up from the floor.

"Alright! I recede the order! Now do something!" The judge yelled as Louis screamed out for 'winning' his first case.

"Dust yourself off Princess! It's time to go to work!" Peter laughed as he walked passed Hope, breaking her from her momentary lapse of fear. Hope scowled lowly and watched Ray pass her with a smile. Egon stopped in front of her with a stare she knew well.

"Egon, I'm-"

"Not now." Egon cut her off, his face stern. Hope could sense the frustration radiate off of him and knew that she shouldn't had run off to play heroine, "Come on."

Egon lead her over to the evidence table and helped her put her pack on. When all their packs were on they stood waiting for the Scaleary brothers to return.

"You know, it's been a couple years since we've used this stuff." Peter commented as they all took hold of their 'guns', "Think it still works?"

"It should. Power cells have a half life of five thousand years." Egon threw back at him, making Hope laugh a little.

"There's no time for a bench test." Hope looked over at Ray and shook her head, knowing that he, like the others, was excited to be ghost busting again, "Heat 'em up!"

"Doe." Peter sang as he flipped his pack on.

"Ray." Ray sang next and flipped his pack on. Hope stood beside Ray and shook her head, not wanting to sing.

"Egon." Egon sang when Hope wouldn't and gave Peter a sly look. Hope laughed and flipped on her pack, swallowing whatever fear was still in her.

"And this is what I'm marrying?" She asked no one in particular and felt Egon nudge her a little. She looked to him and laughed, knowing he wasn't mad with her anymore.

"Yeah, now imagine what your kids will be like." Peter piped up as Ray and Egon both gave a small laugh. Hope's face fell at the comment as she looked to the floor, her breathing picking up as her thoughts drifted away.

Egon looked over at her and noticed the same look she had when they visited Dana. He couldn't figure it out. Why was she suddenly panicking? Does she not want children? Egon decided that now wasn't the time to ask her that question and looked back to the court doors.

Chairs suddenly began flying left and right as the mysterious force came closer and closer. The ghosts reappeared in front of Hope, heading straight towards the ceiling. Each of them let their streams of orange and blue fly, trying to hit the ghosts as they went.

Peter yelled out as each of their streams died out. The court room fell silent apart from things that were now broken falling to the floor and sizzling of burning papers. Peter was the first to laugh, followed by Ray, and then Egon. Hope looked at each of them as though they were insane because at the moment that's what they seemed like.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Hope yelled out as something caught her eye. The fatter of the ghosts materialized by the back wall, scaring Peter somewhat.

"Come on fat boy! I'm gonna take you home to momma!" Peter taunted the ghost as he followed it with his stream. Egon and Ray's streams followed soon after as Hope looked around for the second.

"Egon, get the trap!" Ray called out as Egon looked back at the table. He took hold of the trap and looked behind Ray where Hope stood, staring passed him.

"Hope!" Egon called out as the second ghost appeared behind her. She quickly snapped around, but was too late. She felt herself thrown across the room and hit the wall harshly, falling to the floor in a heap, "Hope!"

"Egon, the trap!" Ray called out, not seeing what had happened to Hope, as Egon fought with himself. He quickly sprang forward and set the trap up. Ray and Peter each held a ghost with their streams and began rounding them towards the trap. When they were above it Egon hit the button and the trap opened, swallowing the ghosts up.

"Two in the box!" Ray sang.

"Ready to go!" Egon sang next.

"We be fast!" Peter started.

"AND THEY BE-"

"Hope!" Egon broke the sing song laughter as he ran towards where Hope lay on the ground unconscious.

"Hope!?" Ray called out, following behind Egon. Egon fell beside Hope, turning her over on her back.

"Hope?" Egon called out again as he pushed her hair out of her face. Ray knelt beside Egon as Peter stood behind them, watching.

"Mmmm." Hope moaned as she moved stiffly on the floor. Egon began to lift her head when he felt something warm and slimy on his fingers. He pulled his hand back and saw the blood, panic rising within him.

"Call 9-1-1." He breathed out as he gathered Hope in his arms, resting her head in the crook of his elbow, "Hope? Hope you have wake up."

"Hey we need some help in here!" Ray stood up and ran from the room and through the doors where the press and news were sure to be.

"Hope, wake up." Egon slapped her cheek as Hope's eyes fluttered open.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it Princess?" Peter spoke sarcastically as he kneeled beside Egon. Hope heard their voices and as many times as she blinked the blurs and pains didn't disappear.

"My head..." She breathed out as she fought against closing her eyes. Hope's eyes fluttered closed again as Egon's voice rang through her head.

"Hope, keep your eyes open." Hope's eyes sprung open again and then closed once more, "Hope, wake up."

Hope's mind drifted off as she felt herself pulled further into darkness, Egon's voice becoming softer and softer as she went.

"Hope.."


	7. Chapter 7: We're Back

I hope these two new chapters keep you occupied at least for a little while! Sorry if any of the characters in this chapter are OOC. It's been a while since I've worked with this story. Thanks!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

_...beep...beep...beep...beep..._

"Egon?" Hope's voice was soft as she listened to the sound of the heart monitor beside her bed beeping rhythmically. She rearranged herself a little and hissed at a sharp pain in her back. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through her nose as she forced herself awake, "Egon?"

She felt someone take her hand and squeeze it gently, a thumb rubbing the back of her hand. A weight was then on the bed beside her as another hand sat on the other side of her by her hip.

"The doctor said that you have a slight concussion, multiple contusions along your back, and your left hip is subluxated." Egon spoke seriously and scientifically.

"You can't just say 'you have a lot of bruises, a messed up hip, and you're head's gonna be fuzzy for a while'?" She opened her eyes, squinting in the morning light coming through the window as she gave a small laugh.

"You're pretty banged up. Will that do?" Egon replied, joking littering his voice. Hope gave a small laugh and nodded her head.

"How long have I been here?" She asked, rearranging herself on the uncomfortable hospital bed, feeling the pain surge through her left hip.

"Just over night." The room fell silent as she looked him over. He didn't look as bad as the last time she had been in the hospital, though the last time she had been much worse off.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as she laced her fingers with his, sighing softly again.

"For what?" Egon's eyebrows knitted together as he peered down at her through his glasses. Hope turned herself on her side and pulled their laced hands beneath her chin.

"For getting myself into the hospital again and making you worry." She gave a small laugh and licked her dry lips. Egon moved from his chair and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"There was nothing we could have done. The ghost appeared out of nowhere." Egon rationalized as he gave a small smile. Hope smiled back sighed, feeling tired and achy. Carefully, she sat herself up against the protests from Egon.

"I'm fine. I promise." Hope laughed as she swatted Egon's protests away. She leaned back against the now vertical bed and pulled his hands with hers into her lap.

"Hey, hey, hey, we're the Ghostbusters! We're family!" Egon and Hope looked to the doors of the room they were in. Ray followed by Peter came into the room as shouts and protests from the nurses followed behind them, "Well, look at the Princess or should I call you Humpty-Dumpty?"

"Hello to you too Peter." Hope laughed and smiled as Peter and Ray walked over to the bed, setting down a paper bag on the floor. Ray came up to the other side of the bed where Egon wasn't and gave her a small hug, "Hi Ray."

"Good news is that after the ghost threw you like a sack of potatoes, we caught it." Ray smiled and pulled up a chair. Hope smiled and nodded her head, knowing fully well that Ray was still suffering from the after effects of the adrenaline from the day before.

"Does this mean...?" Hope began seeing Ray's familiar childish grin appearing on his lips, "...G.B. is back?"

"Ghostbusters are back in business, Hopie." Ray grinned and tried to hold back the laugh forming in his throat. Hope looked at each of the boys and then stopped at Egon.

"Really? After all the debts you accumulated?" The boys looked around at each other, confirming to Hope that they were doing it against the governments approval. She gave a scoff and shook her head, "Fine, but no more getting arrested, no more digging holes in the middle of streets, no more conjuring giant marshmallow men, no more messing with ancient Gods that want to destroy human kind, no more-"

"No can do Princess. It comes with the job unfortunately. The whole being arrested and messing with potentially dangerous and very angry paranormals." Peter taunted and leaned on the tray at the end of her bed. Hope glared back at Peter, knowing that he was the cause of all the trouble in the past and knowing that he would be in the future. Ray and Egon looked at Hope, then Peter, and then back to each other.

"So...what do you say, Hopie?" Ray asked as he gave Hope a small nudge, trying to end the unspoken argument she and Peter were having.

"What do you mean?" Hope asked, honestly confused by the question as she turned her gaze from Peter to her brother.

"We need the entire team if we're going to be bagging some serious paranormal activity that's brewin' beneath the city." Peter encouraged, "Even Humpty-Dumpty."

Hope looked around at them all and then smiled, nodding her head in agreement though she knew where this would most likely lead them all.

"I guess I could take a break from curating the museum." She answered slowly, liking the idea of being back in the 'business' with the guys. She felt Egon squeeze her hand and smiled at him. Peter suddenly clapped his hands together and rushed forward, pulling back the blankets on top of Hope.

"Well, alright! Let's rescue a Princess from her tower then, shall we?" Peter walked to the door of the room and watched as nurses walked by. He carefully slipped out of the room, going only God knows where. Ray picked up the paper bag form the floor and handed it to Hope, who smiled already knowing it was clothes for her.

"Alright, Egon can you help me to the bathroom?" Hope asked as she swung her legs passed him and over the side of the bed. Egon quickly led her to the small bathroom connecting her room with another's and shut the door. Hope quickly changed into the simple jeans and t-shirt, the jeans posing a slightly problem when they got to her hips, and then pulled on her socks and shoes.

"Wow Egon, when you said I was' banged up', you weren't lying." She limped back out into the room and Egon quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to support her. She hissed when he accidentally hit a sore spot on her back, earning a soft apology from him.

"Alright, gift for the Princess!" Peter called out as he rushed back into the room with a pair of crutches. Egon and Hope slowly made their way to where he stood beside Ray. Peter handed the crutches to Hope, who gladly took them without wanting to know where he had gotten them.

They walked into the elevator and then out into the entrance of the hospital. They stopped at the main desk where Ray signed her out and picked up her medication. They walked out the front doors of the hospital and was suddenly bombarded by the news and media.

"Is it true!?"

"Are you back together!?"

"Are the Ghostbusters back!?" Each of the reporters called out their questions, hoping to catch anything from any of them. Hope leaned her head against Egon's shoulder, not wanting to deal with them at the moment. Peter stepped forward, making room for Egon and Hope to walk as Ray trailed in the back.

"You're chariot, your Highness." Egon smirked as he helped Hope into the back of the Ghostbusters car and then climbed in after her. Ray jogged to the other side of the car and hopped into the driver's seat as Peter stood at the open passenger door, facing the reporters.

"We're the best! We're the beautiful! We are...the Ghostbusters!" Peter called out and then climbed into the car. The news and media followed as closely as they could as the Ghostbusters pulled out, hounding them with questions through the windows.

Egon took a bottle of pills from the white paper bag the hospital had given and plucked two white chalky pills from the orange container.

"Here. They're ibuprofen." Egon handed the pills to Hope, who took them hastily and then leaned her head on Egon's shoulder again before he could even hand her the water bottle he was holding. She closed her eyes, feeling tired once more as he arches and pains slowly dulled.

"Where are we going first?" She asked through a yawn and wrapped her arms the best she could around Egon's waist.

"Back to headquarters. We need to get Louis and Janine back!" Ray chimed from the front of the car enthusiastically.

"Ugh..." Hope squeezed Egon a little, not liking the idea of him and Janine being in the same building. She knew she had nothing to be worried about; 1) Egon wasn't a cheater, 2) Egon didn't like Janine, and 3) Egon had asked **her** not Janine to marry him. She still didn't like the idea of Janine trying to put the moves on her man none the less.

"She wasn't my type five years ago and she still isn't now." Egon commented, knowing exactly why Hope had groaned, "And I doubt that she would still like me after so long."

"You're a great guy Egon and I still like you." Hope smiled as Egon wrapped his arms around her.

"You have to. You're marrying him!" Peter called back, spitting the word 'marrying' out like it burned his tongue. Hope laughed and sighed happily.

"What is your type, Egon Spengler?" Hope asked through a yawn, bordering sleep and consciousness.

"Well, have to be at least 5'8, blonde, blue eyes, irrational, a little high maintenance-"

"I am not!" Hope laughed and sat up, pushing him away lightly.

"Hey! Keep the lovey-dovey stuff to a minimum back there!" Ray called back, conformable with the conversation. His little sister was after all marrying his best friend; weird, "When is this supposed wedding?"

"Someday soon." Hope smiled up at Egon and leaned back against his shoulder once more, "We were thinking in the spring at Central Park."

"Aw how sweet. Have you picked out your dress yet Egon? Because I hear ivory is the new white this year." Peter joked from his seat, looking back at Egon and Hope in the back seat.

"Did Egon forget to tell you Peter? You're my maid of honor. I was thinking of hot pink with ruffles and lace." Hope spoke up.

"Remove the ruffles add some leather and you got your maid of honor." Hope laughed out loud and said something under her breath, "What was that?"

"I said you have problems." Hope whispered louder as she felt herself falling asleep. She listened as she drifted off to the familiar chatter of the three men about the paranormal activity brewing beneath the city.


	8. Chapter 8: Mood Slime

Look at that! Three chapters in the same month! I am on a roll here! It is all for you my readers!

Please R&R if you like the story. I love hearing all of your guys's thoughts on it!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

It had been several weeks that the Ghostbusters had been back in business. Headquarters was fixed up, including the large Ghostbusters sign hanging outside the building. The car had also had some work done, since unfortunately, it seemed as though it was about to die. Also, the fire pole had been replaced. It had begun to rust and the last time Ray had slid down it it had nearly toppled over.

Janine had come back, manning the front desk and phones once more. Like Egon had said, she had no interest in him like she had five years ago and so Hope felt better about her being back. Louis was doing, well, 'things' like fretting over small incidents and studying up on law since his failure at the last court hearing. Winston had also returned after much convincing mostly from Ray and Hope, who had paid him constant visits.

There had also been a lot of activity and jobs for the Ghostbusters lately. Everyday there seemed to be something to keep them all busy, though Hope usually stayed back at Headquarters unless they needed an extra hand.

One reason being because of her injuries that were still healing, like her dislocated hip and the countless physical therapy sessions she had. Two being that Ray had decided to take it upon himself of driving everywhere and his driving wasn't exactly defensive. Three, well after everything that had happened five years ago she was completely content with staying back and organizing and cleaning the place. It also gave her a chance to work towards her doctorate in Archeology.

They had passed through the holidays, being well fed and having plenty of extra cash to buy each other gifts for once. Hope had made them all a nice meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, while she and Egon had actually stayed home together on Christmas Day and had been visited by Ray later in the evening.

More and more slime had been appearing all over the city. Egon and Ray had taken it upon themselves to find out exactly what it was, taking samples from several public places where it had appeared and testing it.

The Ghostbusters had even put together their own commercials finally, making themselves an accredited business. Hope laughed every time she saw it, earn scowls from the rest of the 'team'. Egon and Hope had 'officially' set a date; May 21st this year in Central Park as planned.

"So, explain this to me again." Hope asked as she sat on the pool table in the small inside Headquarters.

"We've been experimenting with the slime we found in the subway tunnel." Ray explained again as Egon took the slime out of the microwave that had finished cooking the pink goo, "Careful Egon."

Egon carefully took the slime to a nearby lab table and set it down gently. Hope slid herself off of the pool table and limped over to the boys, squeezing between Winston and Peter.

"Should I get a spoon or two?" Peter's sarcastic and taunting voice filled the silence, earning a mock glare from both Ray and Egon.

"Watch this." Egon announced as he leaned closer to the bowl of slime, "Go ahead Ray."

"You know it's disturbing how you two get excited by these things." Hope commented as she leaned against the lab table, palms flat on its top.

"It could be worse." Winston smile at her, giving her a small nudge. Ray gave both of them a look and then turned back to the slime, leaning closer.

"You! You worthless piece of slime!" Ray shouted as the goo began to bubble, "You ignorant, disgusting blob!"

"You're nothing but a short strained, unstable molecule!" Egon scolded the pink goo, causing it to bubble more. Hope watched both the scientists carefully with an eyebrow raised as she tried to hold back her laughter.

"You foul, obnoxious muck!"

"You have a weak electro chemical bond!" Egon shouted out as both Peter and Winston looked to Hope. Hope couldn't hold it any longer and began to shake with laughter at the two childish and respected scientists.

"I have seen some disgusting crud in my life, but **you** take the cake!" Ray shouted out, really 'into' this experiment. So much so that Peter suddenly shot out his hand and pushed Ray back from the slime that had begun to bubble over the top of its container.

"Holding back some _bad _emotions Ray?" Hope laughed as she ran a hand through her hair.

"This is what you do with your spare time?" Peter asked unbelievingly.

"This is an incredible breakthrough." Ray tried to reason, earning another laugh from Hope.

"Into what? Stress relief?" Hope asked as she gently rubbed her left hip that had begun to bug her.

"I have to agree with Humpty on this one." Peter spoke up, cupping his hands on top of the lab table.

"Stop calling me that." Hope gave a light elbow to Peter's ribs and shook her head, turning back to Ray and Egon.

"This is a psycho reactive substance that thrives off of human emotional states." Ray nodded his head to himself and took a quick glance at the pink goo in the bowl.

"Mood slime." Peter looked at Ray and Egon skeptically and then to Hope and Winston, "they found...mood slime."

Peter moved closer to the slime.

"Aw, baby." He cooed down at it, earning bubbles from the goo.

"Guess it doesn't like you Peter. Tough break." Hope slapped Peter on the shoulder and gave a small laugh. Winston moved a little closer to the goo, staring at it as though it would jump again if he said anything.

"This stuff feeds on bad energy?" He asked, watching to make sure it bubble more.

"Like a cop in a donut shop." Ray responded looking across the table at Egon.

"Well, does it feed off of good energy or is it playing favorites in that department?" Hope asked, pulling the bowl of slime a little closer to her as she stared down at it, skeptically. She raised a finger, intent on poking the goo, but her hand was slapped away by Winston.

"We've been running tests to see if it would." Egon spoke as he looked around at them all and stopped on Peter, who just stared blankly at him.

"What kind of tests?" He asked, seeming to be interested. It took a few moments to get an answer, but finally Ray gave them one.

"Well, we sing to it. We talk to it and say...supportive, nurturing things to it." He explained as he looked back at the pink goo that had begun to calm down. Hope looked anxiously over at Egon, wondering if they had actually done the things Ray said they did. Egon only stared down at the table, which usually meant it was the truth.

"You're not sleeping with it, are you Ray?" Peter pretended to ask timidly as he looked over at him. Ray slowly raised his gaze from the goo to stare at Egon. All four pairs of eyes stared at Egon as he slowly turned his head away. Peter sighed, a laugh clearly building in his voice as he shook his head, "Oh you..."

"It's always the quiet ones." Winston commented a smirk erupting onto his face as he looked back at the goo. Hope stared at Egon with her nostrils flares, not in anger but in shock. He slept in the same bed she did. So where the hell had the goo been?

"You hound." Peter laughed as Egon looked back over at them all, coughing to cover up his embarrassment, "And by the look on Hope's face it seems you were keeping it a secret."

"So instead of sleeping at home with me you stay here and sleep with some...pink psycho reactive slime?" Hope asked incredulously as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer.

"Ahem...uh, how about the uh kinetic test?" Egon tried to turn the attention away from him. He locked eyes with Hope who only continued with her stare. Slowly, she shook her head and gave him a look telling him he had some explaining to do.

Egon stood from his seat at the lab table and pulled out a toaster from a shelf, placing it beside the bowl of slime. Carefully, Ray spooned in some of the smile into the openings at the top of the toaster. They all stood from the lab table and walked to the pool table that Hope had been sitting on earlier. Egon set the slime filled toaster down with a smile.

"It responds to music so we've been experimenting by playing easy-listening and then a little road time stuff, you know." Ray spoke up as Egon went to the radio sitting on top of the television in the corner, "Paul Young, Dust in the Wind, that works alright."

"Loves Jackie Wilson." Egon smiled as he walked back over to stand beside Hope at the pool table. Peter looked between Ray and Egon.

"You guys do this at night when I'm not here?" Peter asked flabbergasted as he pointed to the toaster, "It loves Jackie. That's fantastic."

"Zipper the lippers Pete." Hope groaned as she gave a small laugh. Ray crossed his arms over his chest and grinned down at the toaster, knowing what would soon happen.

"Hey, does it do-" Suddenly, a sharp _pang_ came from the toaster as it gave a little twitch. They all stared down at the thing, no one believing what they saw except for Egon and Ray. The toaster gave another twitch and then another, "Oh it dances too."

The music began to pick up beat as did the toasters 'dance'. Peter clapped his hands with the beat as he rocked from side to side. Hope gave a small laugh when the toaster jumped a little off the pool table. In another instant toast flew from the top of the toaster and into the hands of Egon, who quickly threw them onto a small table by the radio.

"Oh, aw baby!" Peter called out as he picked up the toaster and cradled it against his chest, "You're my number one Christmas Boutique item!"

"Yeah, and the first time someone gets mad that toaster could eat their hand." Winston spoke up as they all watched Peter continued to play with the toaster. Peter stared down at the toaster in his hands and stuck two fingers into the openings in the top as he looked it over.

"No, no, no, we put a warning label on it and then- **AHH**!" Peter suddenly yelled out and tried to wrench the toaster from his hand. Hope instantly reacted and grabbed onto the machine, trying to pull it away from him as the other did the same, "Oh did you ever go for it!"

"Can I hit him now?" Hope asked as Peter removed his fingers from the toaster and laughed.

"GET HIM!" Ray called out as he, Winston, and Egon wrestled Peter to the ground. Hope crossed her arms and laughed at the men wrestling like teenagers on the floor below her. The boys soon grew tired and began gasping for air as the either laid of sat on the floor.

Hope shook her head and pushed herself away from the pool table, kneeling the best she could beside Egon.

"I have physical therapy. I will see you when I get back." She gave him a small kiss on the lips, earning a groan from Ray and a sarcastic 'aw' from Peter. She looked at both of them and stuck her tongue out. She turned back to Egon and gave him another kiss before standing and walking to the door of the room, "Bye boys!"


	9. Chapter 9: Two Attacked

Hey everyone! Just a heads up; I am going to be redoing 'Stay Puft' because I reread it last night and I rolled my eyes at it at least sixty times. With me that means that it needs serious work. Promise I will make it better then it is now, but I won't start until I finish this sequel. Thanks!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

_"And that's why you need to call this number now! Operators are standing by! Limit one per household."_

Hope stood from the couch in the family room, switching off the television from a bad infomercial she had been watching. She tossed the remote to where she had been sitting and limped over to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and peeked inside, searching for something to cure her hunger. She leaned her head against the refrigerator door and sighed, not liking her choices very much.

Tonight was another night that Egon was at 'Headquarters' with Ray experimenting on the pink slime they had retrieved from the sewers. Thankfully, after some strict scolding, she had made him promise a few days ago not to sleep with the slime anymore. For some reason that little 'experiment' weirded her out seeing as how...unusual it was, even for Egon and Ray.

"How about pasta?" She asked herself as she closed the refrigerator and walked to the pantry. She pulled out a box of Angel hair and moved towards the stove, reading the directions on the box. She looked over the island and took down the pot she wanted, moving to the sink. She turned the nozzle on hot and set the pot into the sink to fill as she walked back over to the pantry, beginning to search around. She pushed and pulled things forward and backwards, trying to find sauce.

"There you are." She smiled and picked up the jar of tomato sauce that had hidden itself behind the cans of soup. She closed the pantry door and turned back to the sink, staring down at the jar. She looked up to see if the pot was full enough and her eyes nearly popped out of her head, "What the hell?"

She walked forward quickly and set the jar on the counter, rushing to turn off the sink. Once it was off she stared down at the pink goo sitting in the pot and sink, nearly overflowing it. Her face scrunched up as her mouth fell open slightly. She cursed lowly to herself as she turned and picked up the telephone hanging on the wall a little bit away.

_...ring...ring..._

"This had better not be one of their little experiments..." Hope sighed and looked back at the sink, shaking her head in disgust. She walked back to the sink and stared down at the goo, bubbling every once in a while. It didn't smell too pretty either and Hope tried her hardest not to breath it in, turning her head every which way from it.

_...ring...ring...ring..._

"One of them had better answer..." She took the phone from her ear and hung up, dialing the number once more. Hope clasped the phone between her chin and shoulder as she leaned against the counter, hands on either side of the sink. She looked out the small window in front of her and stared at her reflection.

_...ring...ring...ring...ring..._

Hope closed her eyes tightly and rubbed them with her free hand, feeling tired and slightly grouchy. A sudden tight hold appeared on her wrist making her open her eyes and stare down. The pink slime had lifted itself up out of the pot and was now wrapped around her left wrist in an iron grasp. Another part of the slime lifted itself up and latched onto her other wrist, locking her in her place.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...!" Hope dropped the phone from her shoulder, not caring if anyone had finally answered her call. She tried pulling herself back from the sink, but it seemed as though she were cemented to her spot. She finally freed one hand and then began to tear at the pink slime on the other. Her struggling only seemed to make it worse as it had begun to climb her arm.

"Hello? Is someone there? Hello!?" Janine's voice rang through the telephone, but falling on deaf ears as Hope tried to tear at the slime slowly climbing further up her arm. Hope gave a small shriek as she pulled away from the sink, trying to break free from the muck. She placed her good leg against the cabinets below the sink and tried to push back with all her force, feeling the pressure build on her arm.

When this didn't work she went to clawing at it desperately and finally tore her arm from it, falling backwards onto the floor and hitting her back against the island. She stared up at the sink as the pink slime began to slide down the cabinets and inched towards her feet. She quickly backed herself up like a crab, trying to get away from it as it raised itself up to form a human shape.

Quickly she stood and limped as fast as she could towards the front door, panicking. She didn't look back as she grabbed her car keys and limped out the door, down the stairs, and into her car. She drove as quickly as the law would allow and headed straight for the Ghostbusters building, pulling right up to the curb. She hopped out of the car and limped her way inside the building, ignoring Janine as she passed, heading to the stairs.

"Egon! Ray!" She called out as she walked through the halls, still as panicked as before, "Egon! R-"

"Hope?" Egon stepped out from an open door at the end of the hall in his usual white coat and holding a new invention of his. He stared at her, eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "What are you doing here? I thought you were at home."

"I was until our sink tried to take me prisoner!" She yelled and limped passed him into the small room. Leaving him at the door even more confused for a split second.

"What was that?" Egon asked as he walked back into the room, shutting the door behind him. Hope passed several messy tables full of scattered papers and open books, stopping beside one that held two containers of the pink slime. She looked down at her arms that had been held hostage and spotted a large red mark wrapped around the one that had been held longer.

"Hope? What're you doing here?" Ray walked out from a back room with something resembling a yellow skullcap on his head with wires dangling from it.

"Our sink tried to hold me prisoner." She scoffed and subconsciously rubbed her arm as she looked back at the slime. Egon and Ray exchanged a glance and then moved closer to her, their curiosity being sparked.

"What do you mean?" Ray asked as he leaned against the table. Egon walked up beside Hope and waited patiently, wanting to know what had happened also.

"I was making pasta and set the pot in the sink with the water running to fill it. I turn my back for two seconds, just two seconds and the next thing I know the sink is filled with that pink crap!" Hope yelled and pointed to the containers sitting on the table, her angry red marked arm being completely visible to the two. The mark was quickly becoming a bruise as the two stared at it a moment longer and then looked to their experiments, "It launched itself at me and wouldn't let go! Then it fricken' crawled out of the sink!"

Egon took her arm and looked at it, shaking his head slightly.

"What do you mean it 'crawled out of the sink'?" Ray asked as he looked back at her. Hope looked over at Ray and scoffed, panic subsiding and being replaced with frustration.

"When it let go of my arm I fell to the floor, but it followed out of the sink, like it was trying to catch me." She hissed when Egon touched her arm rather harshly and pulled it back to her chest, rubbing it gently, "Then it sort of formed a shape."

"Sorry about that." Egon answered almost automatically about her arm and looked at her from over his glasses.

_...ring...ring...ring..._

All three of their eyes moved to the telephone on the wall as Ray walked to grab it.

"What do you mean a shape?" Egon asked as he took the invention slung over his shoulders off, laying it on the table. Hope looked over at him and slowly wrapped her arms around him, hiding her face in his shirt.

"It was human like." She answered as Egon wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace, "I was so freaked out that I ran from the house and drove here."

"What!?" Ray's shout made Hope and Egon look back at him in question, "Are you serious? Well, this is great! That makes two in one night! Uh, I mean that's terrible, but it's great for what we wou-...No, Hope's sink. Yeah, sure we will."

Hope looked back up at Egon, both knowing what Ray was talking about now. Egon shook his head and rubbed her back gently as he looked over at the slime on the table.

"Winston was right. That junk is dangerous." She whispered and leaned her head back against Egon's chest, sighing at the feeling of being safe in his arms. Egon placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and watched Ray.

"We're on it. Spengler," Ray hung up the phone and looked back at Egon and Hope, "Another major slime psycho related event."

"What happened?" Egon asked as he and Hope pulled apart slightly to look at her brother. Ray walked closer to them.

"Dana's bathtub tried to grab her and the baby!" Ray looked between them, seeming to be worried now.

"Are they okay?" Hope asked suddenly, loosening her grip around Egon's waist. Ray nodded and ran a hand across his face, sighing.

"Yeah, they're at Venkman's." He answered, placing his hands on his hips.

"This is very interesting Ray." Egon nodded and let go of Hope, moving to a nearby computer, "Remember the picture Peter mentioned?"

"Vigo the Carpathian?" Hope offered, trying to remember herself. She limped up beside him and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him type something in to the computer.

"Yes." Egon answered simply and hit the enter key. Ray gave a shrug and put his hands into his lab coat pockets.

"What about him?" Ray asked as Egon turned to look at him and Hope.

"Look at this." Egon stepped away from the view of the computer screen, allowing Hope and Ray to read over what was there;

_ZUNDINGER, LEON_

_**MAGICIANS, MARTYRS, AND MADMEN**_

_**CHAPTER 6, PP.128-145**_

_VIGO THE CARPATHIAN (1505-1610)_

_Sixteenth century Carpathia was in a constant state of spiritual turmoil due principally to the despotic rule of PRINCE VIGO VON HOMBURG DEUTCHENDORF, tyrant, sorcerer and psychotic autocrat._

"Yeah, he seems like a charmer." Hope commented softly as she reread the passage. She looked up from the screen at Egon and Ray, wondering what was going on in their heads.

"Think there may be a connection between this Vigo character and the..." Ray looked over at the containers on the table and nodded his head at them, "...slime?"

"Is the atomic weight of Cobalt 58.9?" Egon replied, confusing Hope. Ray took a deep breath, straightening himself.

"Is that a yes or no?" Hope asked, confused by the question posed as an answer to the only other scientist in the room. Egon looked at her and nodded his head slowly, giving her a small smirk.

"We better go over to Dana's apartment. I want to check out that bathtub." Ray quickly took off his lab coat and headed towards the door. Egon followed suit, removing his coat to reveal his dress pants and tie, rather then Ray's laid back style of jeans and a tee-shirt.

"It might be a good idea to go to the museum in the morning. Get a look at the painting." Egon grabbed his suit jacket from the back of a nearby chair, putting it on, "Hope it's best if you stay here. We'll be back shortly."

"Hey, wait a minute." Hope looked between the two and grabbed hold of Egon's arm before he could walk out the door with Ray, "I'm not staying anywhere by myself after what happened. I'm still hurt and I need my fiancé to be around to protect me if this happens again."

Hope stared up into Egon's eyes, not hint of joking on her face. Though she really hated to admit it, she was afraid that the slime might try again especially after hearing it had happened to Dana and Oscar too. Egon stared down at her for a moment and then nodded.

"Alright." Egon agreed and took her hand, leading them out of the room and down the hall.


	10. Chapter 10: Vigo The Carpathian

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Hope, Egon, and Ray had stayed the entire night at Dana's apartment. They had gone through it with a fine toothed comb, but couldn't find anything more then a little bit of the pink slime in the tub. They left in the early morning, Ray going back to headquarters and Hope and Egon heading home. There was a little of the slime here and there from the front door to the kitchen sink. The only other evidence that the events of the night before had actually happened was the black and blue bruise that circled up Hope's left arm.

"How's your arm?" Winston asked as he looked to the back of the car as Hope and Egon stepped into the Ghostbuster mobile. She pulled back the sleeve of her Ghostbusters uniform and showed him the bruise, "And your hip?"

"Still hurts sometimes if I sit a certain way or something." Hope replied as Winston gave a small sorrowful nod and looked back towards the front. Egon sat beside her in the back, looking through several papers he had wanted to bring to Peter. Ray climbed in last and they all took off for the museum and the painting.

Peter was waiting outside for them all as they pulled up. Egon helped Hope from the car and then moved to the trunk, helping Winston pull out the proton packs. Winston helped Egon with his first and then Hope, making sure to ask her three times if it was too heavy for her, making her laugh.

"Vigo the Carpathian, born 1505 and died in 1610." Hope looked over at Egon and Ray telling Peter what they had found out about the mystery painting.

"A hundred and five. He hung in there, huh?" Peter spoke sarcastically as he looked down at the papers Egon had handed him.

"He didn't die of old age." Hope spoke up, rearranging the pack on her back as she stepped up beside Egon and Ray.

"Yeah, he was poisoned, stabbed, shot, hung, stretched, disemboweled, drawn, and quartered." Ray elaborated on the details of Vigo's death, making Hope cringe at thinking about the pain he must have gone through.

"Ouch." Peter said, causing Hope to laugh.

"You could say that again." She whispered as Winston moved beside her.

"He wasn't exactly a man of the people. Vigo the Cruel, Vigo the Torturer, the Despised, and Vigo the Unholy." Egon stated each of Vigo's aliases as Ray closed the trunk of the car.

"Hope what was that speech he gave when he was dying?" Ray asked as they all began to walk towards the museum entrance.

"Death is but a door, time is but a window; I'll be back." Hope recited as she climbed the stairs, her left hip seeming to be on one of its better days. As they walked into the museum everyone turned and stared at them, some surprised and others unhappy with the visit.

"No! No! You must leave!" A short man with curly reddish blonde hair came out from behind a series of desks, waving them all to leave. Hope recognized him instantly and groaned.

"Who is he?" Ray asked as he looked at Peter and then at Hope.

"Dr. Janosz Poha." She answered, shaking her head towards the man that still waved his arms for them to depart, "Director of Restoration."

"He's yours Ray. Sick him." Peter sarcastically growled out as his eyes continued to stay locked on Janosz.

"Hi there. Ray Stantz with the Ghostbusters." Ray moved forwards tentatively, not knowing what was in store for him from the shorter man, "Just doing a regular spook check is all."

Hope followed Egon over to the right of the large room as they all began to do a sweep of the surrounding area using the meters and detectors Egon and Ray had invented.

"Ballroom's extremely hot." Egon stated as he looked up from the meter he was using to Hope. She nodded her head and looked back down at the detector she was holding, moving it back and forth slowly as she walked around the room. She stopped when she noticed she stood before a rather large painting.

This was the Vigo painting they had come to see and now she understood why Dana hated it so much. Vigo was scary with his narrowed dark eyes that seemed to follow you as you moved. His expression was stern and almost bleeding the word **evil**.

Hope swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, feeling uneasiness sweep over her as she stared up at Vigo. The meter in her hand fell limply at her side as she felt herself being pulled into a trance.

"No! No photographs!" Janosz suddenly yelled as Peter walked up beside Hope, snapping picture after picture with the camera dangling around his neck. Hope looked at him and then the ground before looking back at the painting. Ray walked passed her and up onto the step ladder beside the painting, running over it with a meter.

Hope stared into Vigo's dark eyes that seemed to flame and flicker the longer she stared at them. She soon felt a burning sensation start up in her arm that was bruised. She took hold of it and rubbed it gently, her eyes never leaving the painting as the uneasy feeling turned into fear. Her right hand mindlessly moved to her stomach where a sick feeling was rising.

"Venkman." Egon walked up behind Peter and patted his back several times, taking notice to Hope standing fixed to her spot before the painting, "We need to talk. Come on."

"Hey. Hey!" Winston spoke up when Egon and Peter had walked away. He patted Ray on the arm, who seemed to be in a trance as he stared off at the painting like Hope. Winston looked over at Hope and noticed the same kind of look on her face, "Hope?"

"Yeah?" Hope's eyes snapped to him as she took a deep breath and licked her lips.

"You alright?" Winston asked slowly, eying her suspiciously.

"I'm fine. Just...feeling kind of sick all of a sudden." She gave a small laugh and half smile before looking to Ray, "Ray? HEY RAY!"

"Wha-? What?" He shook his head and looked back at her and then at Winston, "What is it?"

"You alright?" Winston asked as Ray made his way slowly down the step ladder. Hope watched Ray carefully as he and Winston passed by her.

"Yeah, I'm good." Ray replied, nodding his head several times. Hope looked back up at the painting, the same feelings from before returning.

"Hope!" Hope gave one last look at Vigo and then turned around walking to where Egon was waiting for her. He stared down at her, a question glittering in his eyes.

"What?" Hope asked him, noticing the look he was giving her.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently as they began to walk towards the front of the building. Hope thought about the question and then shook her head.

"No, that painting, the one of Vigo, it...it doesn't...feel right." She tried to explain as they walked down the steps. Egon gently took her arm, stopping her from going any further.

"What do you mean?" He asked, slightly bothered by the information. Hope shook her head again as she stared off blankly.

"I just...I...God, I'm going to sound insane." Hope gave a small grim laugh and rubbed her forehead. Egon took her hands from her head and held them between them.

"Trust me, you won't to me." Egon encouraged as she looked up at him. She took a deep breath a nodded, knowing that of all people he was the one she could speak completely honest with about virtually anything. Well, almost anything...

"When I was staring at him it was like he was...like he was staring back at me...and I felt scared for some reason. More scared then I was after the accident." Hope swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and shook her head, looking back to the ground, "I felt as though...he wanted me for some reason. Like he was telling me through his eyes to come to him or something."

"He's a painting." Egon began, placing his hands on her upper arms, trying to rationalize a reason for the way she was feeling, "Whatever feelings you were getting were probably caused by whatever was giving off those readings in the ballroom."

Hope nodded her head, liking Egon's logic and smiled. She bit her bottom lip and looked up at him, nodding her head again. They walked down to the car and Egon helped Hope remove the proton pack from her back before getting in the back with her.

Hope watched the museum as they drove away, not being able to help the feelings that once more arose in her at remembering the look in Vigo the Carpathian's eyes.


	11. Chapter 11: Dumbest Smart Guys

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

After they had all arrived back at headquarters Peter took off to go and check on Dana and Oscar at his apartment. Egon and Ray had decided to get right to work and had gone upstairs to develop the photos Peter had taken at the museum. Hope had gone into the small sort of living room where an old television sat while Winston had gone off to do his own thing.

"Hope, I'm closing up." Hope looked away from the news playing in black and white on the television and towards Janine. She was a little confused by why she had made it a point to tell her, but nodded her head anyway.

"Um, alright. Happy New Year." Hope smiled as Janine put on her faux fur jacket.

"You too." Janine walked away and out to the main desk, "Louis, I'm closing up!"

Hope laughed and clicked off the television, becoming bored with it. She stood from the old couch and stretched, deciding to go and find one of the guys to bother. She walked up the stairs and to the bedroom where Winston was quietly trying to catch up on his sleep. She smiled and took hold of the door handle, closing it softly so he could rest. She walked into the 'lab' and passed several tables, heading straight for a closed door.

"Ray? Egon?" She asked as she knocked lightly on the door, "You two nerds in there?"

"The door's open Hopie. We're developing the photos so be careful with the light!" Ray called back as Hope looked up at the lights that were on above her. She quickly shut off the lights so she didn't ruin the pictures when she stepped into the room.

"Anything interesting popping up?" She asked as she closed the door behind her, looking at the photos that hung on a clothes line around the room. Ray stood by a copier looking machine while Egon was looking at one of the photos through a large magnifying glass. Hope gave a small laugh at the way the magnifying glass distorted his features and walked closer to one of the photos of Vigo beside Egon. She placed a hand on his back, rubbing up and down gently as she stared at the photo. Not before long her hands began to tingle from uneasiness and she dropped the one from Egon's back, pushing them into her pockets.

"Ray was right. Multi plainer inclinations." Egon spoke as placed the magnifying glass on the table, looking over at her. Hope stared back at his as though asking 'and that means...what?' as she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Well, here is your next months cover of 'Q'." Ray turned from what he was doing at another table and clipped a new photo onto the line, allowing it to dangle before them, "Get a look at this sucker."

"You get excited to easily." Hope laughed as Ray pulled a string that was attached to a light hanging from the ceiling that seemed to block out a little of the red lights all around the room. Hope stared at the new photo, the tingles beginning every where on her body now. Vigo's face in the photo seemed as though it was melting on one side. Hope's own face scrunched up as she clenched her hands, willing the frightened feeling building in her away.

"There is definitely a living presence there." Ray stated as he crossed his arms over his chest. Hope looked at him, her breath hitching in her throat a little. Ray looked at her for a moment, hearing the hitch, "You alright Hope?"

"Um, yeah. H-he just gives me the creeps is all." Hope lied and swallowed the lump in her throat. It was a lot more then creeps, but too much for Hope to actually admit to. She was after all a hard headed Stantz. Egon set down the magnifying glass he had picked up to look closer at the photo with and stared at her; long and hard until Hope couldn't take it any more and looked back.

"What?" She blurted as Egon shook his head.

"I'm gonna run this water shot through the spectronalizer." Ray nodded his head, agreeing with what Hope had said and looked back at the photo. Ray picked up a photo sitting in a metal pan of solution with a pair of tongs and walked over to the copier looking machine.

"Same feelings as yesterday?" Egon asked quietly as he moved closer to her, staring down upon her. Hope nodded her head and clenched her hands again, not liking the prickling feeling in them.

"There's something not right about him...it...whatever..." Hope shook her head and took a deep breath, "It doesn't feel right."

"Egon, mind turning up the juice on this thing?" Ray called out from the machine he stood at. Egon moved to the buttons on the machine and pressed a few before Ray slid the photo he had grasped in the tongs into the machine. He and Egon stood on either sides of the machine and leaned against the wall, waiting for the process to finish, "So what do you two think?"

"About what?" Hope asked, grateful for the distraction and tearing her gaze away from the photo. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.

"Chinese?" Ray asked as he laid an arm on the sill of the small window over the working machine.

"I hate Chinese. Remember?" Hope laughed and rolled her eyes at how Ray seemed to think with his stomach.

"How 'bout Thai then?" Egon suggested and Hope gave a small laugh, knowing that he was sick of Chinese food because they had eaten it nearly every day for the year.

"Too spicy for me. Greek?"

"Mexican?"

"I'm going to order us pizza from Giovanni's on fifth." Hope laughed as she walked towards the door of the room, knowing that they wouldn't be against the idea.

"Extra cheese!"

"And pepperoni!" Both the guys called back at her as she walked from the room. Hope laughed again and closed the door tightly behind her, walking to the phone that hung on the wall.

"Hi, I would like to order two large pizzas; extra cheese on both and pepperoni on one." Hope spoke into the telephone and leaned back against the wall. Something sounded in the room like metal scratching against each other, causing Hope to look over at the door she had come from.

_"Hello? Miss?"_

"...Huh?" Hope asked as she remembered she was on the phone, "Oh, um to the Ghostbusters building...Yeah, that's the one. Uh, yes I am."

The handle to the door jiggled as Hope's eyes narrowed at it, thinking her mind was playing tricks on her.

"Um, thank you." She answered quickly and hung up the phone, moving towards the door, "Is everything alright in there? I keep hearing things."

"Hope! Winston!" Egon's voice rang out as did the pounding of fists on the door. Hope rushed forward and grabbed the door handle, finding that it was locked.

"It won't budge!" Hope called out as she spotted white smoke gently crawling out from underneath the door. Hope ran to the open door of the room she was in and into the hall, "WINSTON! WINSTON GET UP! FIRE!"

In a second Winston was out of the bedroom with a fire extinguisher in hand. He and Hope rushed back into the room where he beat on the door as hard as he could with the extinguisher, busting it open. He quickly put out the flames and then they all stood quietly, looking at the damage.

"What the hell happened?" Hope asked finally as she ran a hand through her hair, staring at the ashes that had been the pictures and the brown and black smudges over the walls.

"We were talking about the river of slime and they just burst into flames! Just like that!" Ray exploded and rubbed a hand over his face as he kicked some of the burnt photos on the floor, "I can't believe it! All our evidence!"

"The river?" Hope asked slowly, her thoughts not liking what she knew they would explain. Egon looked over at her and nodded.

"The river was in the last photo we developed." He moved away from the corner he was in and to her side.

"Um what?" Hope asked scathingly, finding that the Pneumatic Transit Line couldn't possibly be in a painting from centuries ago. She looked around the room again, mouth slightly agape and shook her head, "So is it safe to say that Vigo and the slime are some how connected?"

She asked the question carefully, the mere thought of it bugging her. Ray and Egon looked at each other and then to her, telling her that she had hit the nail directly on the head.

"Oh, wonderful. This is just fricken' fantastic!" Hope scoffed and ran a hand through her hair again, gritting her teeth.

"We gotta go into the old subway line." Ray spoke up, slightly worried of upsetting Hope more. Hope looked at him incredulously and then at Egon who had nodded his head agreeing with her brother.

"Are you two **insane**?" She blurt out, completely rethinking her brother and Egon as 'smart guys' and labeling them as 'dumbest smart guys'. She shook her head a few times and looked between Ray and Egon, "That lunatic painting just set the room on fire and locked you two in here to roast like an Easter ham! And now you want to go exploring the abandoned subways where his psycho reactive mood slime is!?"

"I gotta agree with Hope here. Somethin' don't feel right about it." Winston set down the emptied extinguisher and put his hands on his hips, looking at his two friends, "Let sleeping dogs lie, fellas."

"He's not asleep anymore though. We have to find out what he's planning." Egon spoke up, pushing his glasses back into place on his head, "We have to trace the source of the flow."

"Why do _we_always have to?" Hope asked suddenly and then rolled her eyes, finding her own question dumb. Of course it was always them. Why? Because they're the Ghostbusters, "Forget that last question. Can't we trace it without going like sheep to the slaughter?"

"Hope, you remember how that slime attacked you. Quicker we figure out where it's coming from the quicker we can stop it from hurting others." Ray knew that this would change Hope's mind completely and it did, but it also annoyed her. She stared at him a moment with her eyes narrowed and glaring at how he used 'protecting others' against her.

"I hate you, Raymond Francis Stantz..." Hope growled and crossed her arms over her chest, turning away from him, "I'm going with you. Someone with some actual sense needs to babysit you dimwits."

"Alright, now that that's all settled." Ray gave a small laugh and patted her on the shoulder as they all walked from the room, heading to dress and then to the car.


	12. Chapter 12: My First Priority

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

"Come on!" Ray called out as he hit the steering wheel again for the umpteenth time since they had left headquarters. The streets of New York were more crowded tonight seeing as it was New Years Eve and it was a nightmare trying to drive. Hope looked out the window at a group of people wearing silly hats and laughed, silently wishing that instead of going to find psycho reactive slime that she and the guys were doing what every other person was; celebrating.

"Hey, there's Peter!" Hope called out suddenly seeing Peter staring up at his building from the sidewalk. Ray quickly pulled the car over to the curb and they all hopped out of the car, walking onto the sidewalk to greet him.

"Pete, it's great that you're here!" Ray spoke up first as Peter spun to look at them all, "We have incredible news."

"Can I have one try?" Peter asked sarcastically throwing his hands up, "All you can eat rib night at the Sizzler."

"I wish that's what it was." Hope scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest with the bright yellow jacket she wore like the other three.

"We analyzed the photos of Vigo you took. The spectrogram shows a river of slime." Egon explained as Hope rolled her eyes.

"Just like the one I saw flowing below the city. We're going into the subway and sewers to see if we can trace the source of the flow." Ray finished and looked over what Peter was wearing, "Change your clothes. We'll wait for you."

"Yeah, Egon thinks there may even be a breeding surge in the cockroach population." Winston joked, giving Peter a sarcastic smile. Peter looked at them all and then to Hope, sighing sarcastically as though defeated.

"Oh, no...and they managed to drag you into this too Princess?" He asked, finding what the guys were saying to be, well, crazy. Hope gave a shrug and shook her head, sighing herself.

"Someone has to babysit them. Last time they were left alone Egon tried drilling a hole in his head." She replied and felt Egon nudge her in the side.

"I still say that would have worked." Egon replied softly, looking away from the other. Hope didn't bother looking at him and merely looked behind Peter at Dana who walked out of the building.

"Hi Dana. You look great!" Hope smiled, noticing the dolled up dress Dana wore, "I'm very jealous of you right now."

"Hi Hope and thank you." Dana replied as she looked from Hope to the others that stood beside her, "Hi boys. What's up?"

"The guys and the Princess are going down into the sewers for slime stuff and Egon thinks there may even be a huge surge in cockroaches." Peter began, turning back to look at her, "Wanna blow off the dinner thing and go with them?"

Dana looked back at Hope, her eyes telling her she was sorry.

"Dana if you don't go, **I'm **gonna go with Peter." Hope stated, not liking what she had gotten into tonight. She wished her and Egon were heading out to dinner like Dana and Peter, but sadly Egon wanted to chase a psychotic ghost trapped in a painting.

"Taxi!" Dana called out as she walked away, making Hope laugh and walk back towards the car.

"Psssh...women, huh?" Peter laughed and walked away to find Dana, "Happy New Years Princess!"

"Shut it Peter!" Hope scoffed and leaned against the car, waiting for the others. Ray and Winston climbed in, leaving Hope and Egon to stand alone, "Is this how our entire life is going to be like Egon?"

"I don't understand what you mean." Egon stated, thoroughly not comprehending what she had meant. Hope scoffed and looked over at him, feeling frustration welled up inside her.

"This." Hope pointed down at herself and then at him, "Is there always going to be some paranormal thing that we have to go to? Some evil sorcerer we have to stop?"

Hope looked up at him, feeling as though her life wasn't exactly the way she had thought it would be. She loved working for the Ghostbusters, but after a while of no breaks, hardly seeing her fiancé, never seeing her brother, and never having time alone it became a little much.

"When do we get our time? When can we do the things we want to do without being called to go bag some spook?" Hope asked, not really expecting or wanting an answer, "What happens when we get married?"

"What do you mean?"

"I barely see you now so am I ever going to see you after we're married? Are you going to sleep at the Ghostbusters building like you do now or are you going to come home at night? Is it always going to be paranormal this, ghosts that?" Hope knew in her head that she was acting childish, but she couldn't help but feel this way; lonely, frustrated, and depressed.

She had felt this way since the accident, though she hid it well when she needed to. She loved Egon, but she wanted him there for her not 'a phone call away' and she needed answers to her questions before they were married, not after.

"The only time I stay over at the building is when Ray and I have tests we need to run." Egon didn't know where this had come from all of a sudden. It surprised him and even more worried him how worried she seemed to be about this.

"You run tests _all the time _Egon. There's never a time when you're NOT running tests." Hope laughed scathingly and looked away from him, "What about when we have kids? If we have kids? Do you even want kids, Egon?"

Hope felt her eyes prickle as tears formed because of the questions that she needed answered. For some reason she needed reassurance from him, just a little phrase like 'I'll always be there for you' would suffice, but Egon wasn't that guy.

"Are you going to be there to help me? Are you going to be there for me, for them? Or is this Ghostbusters thing always going to come first? Is science always going to be your first and only love!?"

"You are my first priority Hope. You know that. I love you." Egon cupped her cheek, trying to answer as honestly as he could, "I do want kids Hope, but only with you and when we have them I'll be right beside you to take care of them. You know I will. I would never leave you to do that on your own; never."

Hope looked down and felt her tears break free, falling down her cheeks. Egon wiped several away as he watched her, still slightly confused by the onslaught of questioning.

"Is this why you've been so upset the last few months?" He asked, thinking back to every time she had fallen into her dazed state, thinking about something she refused to tell him, "Because you didn't think I wanted children with you? Or that you weren't my first priority?"

"No...I...I-it's more complicated t-then that..." She stuttered out and sniffed, trying to hold back a new wave of tears. He had gotten two parts right. She had been worried, from the moment they had gotten together, whether or not he wanted children with her. She had always dreamed of being a mother and she couldn't see herself with any other man except him, but if he didn't want kids then that posed a serious problem with her. She was also worried that he did in fact love science more. He's a scientist, a damn good one at that, and science had always been there for him. It was like a bad habit and Hope had wished that she was the cure.

"Tell me Hope. I hate how you think you have to keep a secret from me. I hate seeing you like this." Egon pushed her hair behind her ears, waiting for her to answer, "You can tell me. Let me be there for you with whatever is going on."

"T-the day of the a-accident...I-I was...I h-had gone...I went to-" Hope looked up at him and for a moment thought about telling him everything that had happened; why she was so upset and distraught, what the real reason she refused to talk about the accident was...everything, "I-I...k-kil-"

"Hey! We don't have all night!" Ray stuck his head out the driver's window and looked back at them, "Talk later you two! We have a specter to catch!"

Hope turned and glared at Ray, shaking her head as more tears fell down her cheeks. Ray's eyes widened at realizing what was going on and slowly he slipped himself back into the car.

"Everything alright?" Winston asked Ray as he noticed the man sitting straight and staring out the front window blankly. Ray gave a sharp nod, shaking slightly from knowing what kind of wrath he was in for later from Hope.

"We'll talk about this later, Hope. I promise." Egon said as he and Hope climbed into the car. Hope nodded her head and took the tissue Egon swiped from Ray, who was holding it out to her with a shaking hand. She wiped her face and softly blew her nose, staring out the window as they drove off towards the old subway line, her thoughts landing back on the day of the accident.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the smells, the sounds, the sights...Everything returned to her like she was there again, sitting in the car at the stop light, hands resting on the steering wheel as she listened to the radio. The light turning green, pulling out into the intersection and then darkness, rolling, shattering glass, scratching metal, smell of oil and ash.

Hope turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked into Egon's eyes. She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

...screams of people outside the car...

...metal clattering onto the street...

...blood dripping like a leaky sink onto the ceiling inside the car...

...pain shooting through her sides, her head, her chest...

Everything came back to her within a moment, even the parts she wish she had forgotten. She hid her face in Egon's jacket as he rubbed her back softly, blissfully unaware of what she had done.


	13. Chapter 13: Trains and Voices

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

They had somehow found a way into the old subway tunnel that would lead them, hopefully, to the river of slime. They began walking along the old tracks with hard hats and flashlights to guide them. Hope trudged along, her jaw tight and annoyed by the situation. She had pushed all of the memories of the accident back into the depths of her mind, focusing on the situation at hand.

"This is wonderful you guys. Thank you so much. I've always **dreamed** of spending New Years in an old, dirty, and particularly creepy tunnel! This is fantastic!" Hope complained and hung back from them, looking around the abandoned tunnel.

"Stop complaining." Ray whispered as he looked down at the meter he held, "Whoa!"

Ray's foot fell through a hole in the floor, causing him to fall backwards onto Hope, who in turn fell to the ground. Her hard hat flew off as she felt her back hit the ground hard.

"Will you watch your step Ray?" Winston called out as he helped Egon pick Ray off of Hope, "I don't know how much more Hope can take of being a human pillow."

Hope looked up from the ground at the gloved hand in front of her and took it, dusting herself off when she was standing again.

"Alright?" Egon asked as he looked her over carefully, handing her back her hard hat. She took it and put it on her head, brushing away the stray hair in her face.

"Yeah, but I think my nine lives are running out." Hope gave a small low laugh and picked up her flashlight from the ground.

"I'm sorry. I know this isn't exactly the most romantic New Years celebration." Egon struggled with what he was saying. Hope smiled at his attempt and linked her arm with his, feeling slightly better about the situation.

"I know Egon. You'll just have to make it up to me later." She looked up at him as they walked beside each other down the tunnel with Winston and Ray leading.

"I hate this." Winston spoke up as they all moved further into the tunnel. Hope, had Egon not have apologized would have agreed, but now she laughed.

"It could be worse, Win." She laughed again and flashed her light off to the side where she was looking.

"According to this old transit map there should be an entrance around here somewhere." Ray looked back at the old, yellowing piece of paper he carried and shined his light on it once more.

"I'm not getting anything on the meter yet." Egon called up to them as he slowly waved the meter back and forth, the tiny lights blinking every now and then.

"At least we can't see the cockroaches." Winston commented as he switched the shovel he was holding from one hand to the other.

"Amen!" Hope laughed out loud as she looked at Winston and Ray's back.

"Cockroaches...it's the subway rats you gotta worry about." Ray shot back at her, knowing she hated rats and mice, "Big as beavers."

"Yeah some of them four or five kilos." Egon said without thinking and then looked down at her. She stared back and then shook her head, looking away.

"Thanks so much you guys!" Hope scoffed and moved closer to Egon, worried about rats now.

"Listen. You can hear them behind the walls. Thousands of them." Ray went on further and gave a small laugh.

"Shut up about the rats." Winston called out finally, also not liking them.

"Okay, okay." Ray agreed as he looked down for a moment to watch his steps. Hope took a deep breath and looked in front of them. The tunnel seemed to go on forever in the darkness and the further they went the more lost she knew they would become.

"HELLO!" Ray called out, his voice echoing down the tunnel. Egon gave a small laugh as they all stopped and stood side by side.

"HEY!" Egon called out, his voice also echoing down the tunnel. Hope smacked his arm and then Ray, finding them to be acting like kids.

"HELLO!" Winston called out, Hope knowing it was just to annoy her. His voice seemed to travel further then the other two and then everything fell completely silent. Hope felt a cold chill run down her spine as her breathing sped up slightly.

"..._**Wiiinnssstooon**_..." A deep and rough voice echoed back, loud and angry from somewhere down the tunnel. Hope felt Egon take her by the elbow, turning them around and begin walking back the way they had come. Winston and Ray followed closely and then they all stopped, hearing a noise come from the direction they were moving. Hope turned to look back down the tunnel where the voice had come and gave a shrill scream.

"AHHH!" Hope jumped back and screamed again, seeing more heads on poles around them. Each of the guys gave their own screech, pushing Hope left and right as they freaked out more. As fast as they had come the heads disappeared.

"They're gone." Winston stated, turning left and right to see if any at all were still around.

"Before we go any further I think we should get our proton packs." Egon suggested as Hope inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her breathing was heavy and fast as was her heart, earning notice from Egon who wrapped an arm around her, knowing she was frightened.

Each of them agreed and soon they were heading back to where they had entered the tunnel.

"What's that noise?" Hope asked suddenly, stopping in her tracks to concentrate.

"Don't start with those damn rats." Winston breathed out as he and then the others soon stopped too, hearing what she heard, "What is that?"

"It sounds like...a train?" Hope gave, but knew that that couldn't be right.

"Na-uh. It can't be a train." Ray began, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, "These lines have been abandoned for fifty years."

"Oh..." Winston spoke softly, almost seeming to not believe Ray. They slowly began moving down the tunnel once more, but stopped again when they heard the familiar screeching of metal brakes on the track.

"That's definitely a train." Hope stated, feeling fear slither into her bones. She took hold of Egon's arm, squeezing gently.

"Probably just in the tunnels above us." Egon tried to rationalize as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I dunno...sounds awful close to me." Winston spoke up as he and Egon looked to the ceiling of the tunnel.

"Because it's right in front of us." Hope spoke out confidently as she pointed towards the stretch of tunnel before them. She stared at the distant light of a train heading straight for them. The 'chug-chug-chug' of the engine roared through the tunnel as the sharp whistle sounded a moment later.

Hope felt herself tackled to the side by Egon as they fell to the ground. Egon covered her head with himself as they felt the rush of air as the train swept by. A scream melded with the screeching metal of the train and then both suddenly stopped. Egon quickly stood up from the ground and ran onto the tracks, staring at the train as it went further and further into the darkness of the tunnel.

"I think that was the old New York Central, Albany; derailed in 1920, killed hundreds of people." Egon gasped out, looking over at Winston who stood frozen on the tracks, "Did you catch the number on the locomotive?"

"Sorry...I missed it." Winston gasped out, breaking from his frozen state and looked to Egon.

"Are you alright?" Egon asked as Hope walked over to them after catching her breath and trying to slow her heart.

"Yeah, I'm used to being tackled to the ground and not helped up by you." She looked at Winston and patted him on the back twice. She bent down and picked up his hard hat from the ground, handing it to him. Egon gave her a narrowed look, causing her to shrug her shoulders to tell him she was just joking.

"Some thing's trying to stop us. We must be close." Egon breathed out, looking off to the side of the tracks.

"Thank you Captain Obvious. How did you ever deduce that?" Hope spoke up, irked by everything that had happened so far in the death tunnel. Egon looked back at her like he was about to actually answer her when she shook her head and raised a finger at him, "Don't you dare answer if you want to marry me, Egon Spengler."

Egon immediately closed his mouth and looked away from her.

"Where's Ray?" Winston suddenly piped up, flashing his flashlight every which way. Hope hadn't noticed before, but now Ray was no where to be found.

"Ray!?" She called out worried.

"Ray!? Where are you!?" Winston also called out, beginning to walk in one direction.

"You guys!" Ray suddenly appeared behind them all, waving his arms. Hope jumped a foot and her right hand latched onto her chest. She smacked Ray on the arm hard and cursed under her breath at him for scaring her, "Sorry. Uh, I found it."

"Found what? My wits?" Hope asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"Slime!" Ray pointed in a direction and grinned. He and Egon rushed to the hole in the wall while Winston and Hope trudge their way over to it. The light changed to a soft pink as Hope drew closer to the hole. She also held her breath, smelling the familiar stink of the goo.

"Hope be careful!" Egon's voice resonated from somewhere through the hole. Hope stuck her head through and stared down at the rock pile that she would have to climb over to get to where he and Ray were.

"I can't climb down this with my hip!" Hope called down to them, shaking her head and sighing.

"Here." Winston walked up beside her and crouched a little, pointing to his back.

"No, Winston. My brother or fiancé should be up here helping me!" Hope yelled the last part to make sure that Egon and Ray heard her.

"Do you trust either of them not to drop you?" Winston laughed slightly, knowing that both of them would end up dropping her. Hope thought about it for a moment and then nodded her head, agreeing with him, "Then get on. It's not that far anyway."

Hope begrudgingly wrapped her arms round his neck and legs around his waist. Winston then went on to 'piggy-back' her down the pile of rocks, holding tightly onto her when he misstepped or a rock fell from under his foot.

"I really hate being carried." Hope groaned, feeling like she was six again. Winston gave a small laugh and stepped down from the rock pile, bending to let her off, "Thanks Win."

"No problem." He gave another laugh as they walked over to where Egon and Ray stood on the edge of the river of slime.

"Unbelievable." Egon whispered out as Hope look at him from the corner of her eyes, wanting to make a rude comment. She decided against it and looked down at the flowing pink goo before them.

"Wasn't lying was I?" Ray chided as he nodded his head to himself.

"No one said you were Ray." Hope spoke up and looked down at the bubbling goo, "Can you imagine how much bad energy it took to create this?"

"That's New York, baby!" Winston gave a laugh and placed his hands on his hips.

"That's just sad." Hope whispered, thinking about how many miserable people lived in the city.

"Check how deep it is." Egon spoke to Winston before moving over to Hope. Winston reached behind him and pulled out the measuring wire from his waist, lowering it into the river.

"Okay, six feet, twelve feet." Winston stopped and looked down at the wire flying through his hands, "Some thing's pulling on it."

"Well hold on to it." Ray looked over at Winston, watching the wire. Hope moved beside Winston and took hold of the wire with him, feeling the force tugging on it.

"Hey! Hey you guys. Help. Help!" Hope spoke up as she felt her feet slipping. Egon and Ray rushed over and grabbed hold of whoever and whatever they could, tugging back on the wire.

Suddenly, the wire ran out and jerked Winston and Hope with enough force into the river. They were pulled with the current, heading down the tunnel.

"Egon! Ray! Help!" Hope called out as she felt something pull her feet, dragging her under and along. Ray and Egon watched a moment longer and then looked at each other, not liking what they were about to do. They quickly jumped into the river and were instantly pulled the same way Winston and Hope had gone.


	14. Chapter 14: Nightmare Revisited

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Hope didn't know where she was or where any of the others were. She couldn't see them anywhere in front of her or behind her. She tried swimming this way and that way, hoping to stall herself in the tunnel she was in long enough to at least see one of them, but failed.

"Egon! Ray! Winston!" She yelled out, hoping to hear a reply, but nothing except for the sound of the flowing slime returned her calls, "Anyone!"

She felt another pull on her leg and was again dragged under like before. She thrashed against the river of slime that pulled her in its currents, feeling her lungs wanting air. She surfaced and coughed, breathing in air again before being drug under once more. Her mind drifted in and out, the day of the accident flashing before her eyes.

_Hope sat on the bathroom floor again this morning after emptying her stomach contents into the porcelain throne a moment before. She had been throwing up a lot lately and she was tried beyond belief. She pulled herself up from the floor and washed her mouth out, brushing her teeth afterwards._

_She picked up the phone beside her and Egon's bed and dialed the familiar number._

_...ring...ring...ring..._

_"Hello, Institute of Advanced Theoretical Research. How may I help you?" The woman Hope had come to know as Lisa answered._

_"Hi, Lisa. It's Hope. Could I speak with Egon?" Hope replied, rubbing her stomach as she laid down on the bed._

_"Oh sure Mrs. Spengler!"_

_"Lisa, I'm not Mrs. Spengler yet." Hope laughed._

_"You've got the ring." Lisa laughed back, "Hold on and I'll patch you through."_

_"Thanks." Hope listened to the cheesy 'on hold' music and then to the small rings that followed._

_"Hello?" Egon's voice sounded through the phone, making Hope smile._

_"Hey you." She answered._

_"Hope? You alright?" Egon asked as he sat down at one of the stools in his lab at the Institute._

_"No, I threw up up again this morning." Hope sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing into the comforter on their bed._

_"Why don't you call the doctor and set up an appointment? You could have the flu. It's been going around here like crazy." Egon replied, worry fluttering in his voice._

_"I hate doctors." Hope groaned and rolled on her side, pulling her knees to her chest._

_"I know, but it would make me feel better if you saw one." Egon spoke seriously as he played with a pen in his lab coat, "Please Hope. I don't want this to get worse."_

_"Fine...for you, my lovely future husband, I will see a doctor today." Hope smiled and then yawned, feeling sleepy again, "Alright. I love you, Egon Ezekiel Spengler."_

_Hope laughed into the phone after a moment, knowing the use of Egon's middle name annoyed him._

_"I love you too, Hope Liwel Stantz." Egon mocked back, Hope knowing that there was that familiar smirk on hi face._

_"I'll see you later then." Hope laughed again and sighed, "Bye."_

_"Bye." Egon hung up first and Hope stared at the phone a moment before dialing the doctors office. She set up an appointment and hurried to get ready. She walked out of the house an hour later and headed straight to the doctors, being taken ten minutes after arriving._

_"Hello, Ms. Stantz. I'm Dr. Salt, I'll be taking care of you today." The small woman closed the door behind her and sat down in the chair by the counter. She looked over a folder she had, running her finger along a chart inside of it and then looked back up at Hope, "Would you mind if I took some blood. You haven't had any work done in years."_

_"No, not at all." Hope replied though she hated the thought of a needle sticking out of her arm while blood pumped into a tiny vial. Dr. Salt pulled out the tools she needed from the cabinets above the counter and prepared Hope's arm._

_"Tell me, what's wrong? You said over the phone that you were throwing up and were tired all the time." Dr. Salt asked as she pricked the small needle into Hope's arm. The tiny vial attached to the needle began to fill with blood immediately, "For how long?"_

_"It's been about a month now. The throwing up didn't start till last week. I've been tired and moody, um achy, no fever or anything though." Hope answered, trying to keep her eyes from the second vial that was beginning to fill._

_"Alright, well it could be the flu. It's been pretty terrible this season. Have you been sleeping?" Dr. Salt replied as she took the second vial and placed the third one on the needle._

_"Yeah, but I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and can't go back to sleep." Hope thought about it as Dr. Salt spotted the ring on Hope's hand and turned back to the vial._

_"Who's the lucky guy?" She asked with a smile._

_"Oh, uh his name's Egon."_

_"Interesting name." Dr. Salt gave a small laugh and removed the third vial and then the needle, placing a band-aid in their place._

_"Interesting guy." Hope laughed and rubbed the band-aid gently. Dr. Salt placed the vials into her lab coat pocket and threw the needle along with her gloves out._

_"I don't want to offend you, but are you two sexually active?" She turned back to Hope a sheepish look to her face._

_"Oh, um...yes." Hope replied after a moment._

_"Do you use protection?The pills or condoms?"_

_"Yes, every time." Hope answered again, becoming confused as to why she needed to know._

_"If you weren't about to be married I wouldn't offer this as the first explanation to what you've been feeling," Dr. Salt answered calmly, picking up the folder from the counter, "but you may be pregnant, Ms. Stantz."_

_"H-how would I find out?" Hope asked once her mind caught up with everything that had been said._

_"Well, we can test the blood I've just taken down stairs in the lab." Dr. Salt offered, seeing that the woman before her was in shock._

_"Um, okay. Yeah, would it be alright if I wait here?" Hope breathed out, still trying to comprehend everything she had been told._

_"Of course. It may take an hour or longer though."_

_"That's fine." Hope spoke softly, eyes down at the floor. Dr. Salt gave a nod and left the room, closing the door behind her. Hope leaned back on the bed like thing she sat on and stared at the cork board ceiling, thoughts running wild._

_"Ms. Stantz?" Dr. Salt walked into the room with a piece of paper in her hand and stared at the sleeping woman, "Ms. Stantz?"_

_Hope's eyes fluttered open as she sat up to look at her doctor. Dr. Salt closed the door and sat down in her swivel chair, moving closer to Hope._

_"Are those the results?" Hope asked, noticing the paper. Dr. Salt nodded and looked down at the paper, reading over what it said, "Am I?"_

_"Yes, you're pregnant. A little over a month." Dr. Salt gave a small smile, unsure how Hope would take it. Hope stared off blankly a moment before a wide grin spread across her face._

_"I'm pregnant." She whispered to herself, the idea making her happy. She laid a hand over her stomach and bit her bottom lip._

_Hope left the doctors with a bright smile plastered onto her face, reaching her eyes. She got into her car and pulled out of the parking lot heading down the street. She pulled up to a red light, having it in her mind to go and see Egon at the Institute._

_"He's going to be so happy!" Hope smiled at herself in her rear view mirror and looked back at the lights, waiting for the go ahead. The red turned green and she pulled out into the intersection, smile still on her face as though it may never leave. Nearly halfway across she was suddenly jerked to the right as the car went rolling across the intersection, slid while upside down, and stopped when it hit a street light._

_The car that had hit her was stopped in the middle of the intersection. The driver's head was against the steering wheel, front windshield shattered, hood smashed, and engine smoking. People around gasped and screamed as they looked between the two mangled cars, whispering to one another and themselves._

_Hope could hear people outside her car and tried to make a sound for help, but none came except her heavy, rough breathing. She smelled gasoline and burnt rubber from somewhere and tried to open her eyes. Her vision blurred in and out as she blinked back the tears. She cough twice and felt the blood seep from the corner of her mouth._

_Her arms dangled down, fingers grazing the ceiling of the car as blood dripped down her arms to her fingers and onto the fabric. Her head hung lamely, her once blonde hair now red and clumped as it touched the ceiling below her. Her seatbelt was still on and tighter then it should be, making it hard for her to breathe. Her legs dangled similar to her arms, motionless and in pain with shards of glass stuck in them. Her head felt fuzzy with pain and a sharp stab was a constant in her chest._

_For a moment all she could do was listen to her slow breathing; deep, wheezy, rough, and forced. She looked out the front windshield that was shattered and missing chunks. Her vision blurred in and out again as she felt tired._

_She saw the feet of people standing around her car and tried to form words. She raised her hand to the people outside as high as she could and let it fall with the last of her energy._

_Sirens sounded far away, both ambulance, police, and firemen alike. Wheels screeched as they came to a stop and suddenly there was a loud bang on the door beside Hope. The door was ripped free and Hope saw a firemen reach into the car, yanking at the seatbelt._

_Hope found her voice and screamed out as loud as she could. The belt broke with the fireman's tug and Hope felt herself fall from the seat onto the ceiling that had become the floor._

_"Medic!" The fireman called out as he drug her from the car as gently as he could. Hope stared up at the sky, buildings seeming to form a sort of tunnel and blinked slowly. Hope was lifted into the ambulance and was soon driving off towards the hospital._

_"...m-my..." She breathed out quietly. She knew there were people around her, working on the wounds she had, but didn't care even when one leaned down to her lips to hear what she was saying, "...m-my...m-my b-ba-baby..."_

_"Did you see a baby back there?" The medic asked the other that had begun hooking Hope up to an IV drip. They shook their head, continuing with what they were doing, "Ma'am there was no baby."_

_"...h-here..." Hope moved her hand over her belly, trying to explain the best she could in her state. The medics looked down at where her hand rested and then at each other, exchanging the same look. Hope saw the medic closest to her move their lips, but couldn't hear what he was saying. The last thing she remembered was his lips moving and then unconsciousness taking her._

_She woke up sometime later in a hospital bed to the beeping of the heart monitor by her head. She looked around the room the best she could and stopped at the door when it opened to reveal a man in a white lab coat._

_"Mr. Stantz, I'm Dr. Klein. How are you feeling?" He asked as he walked closer and looked at the paperwork at the end of the bed._

_"...hurt..." Hope replied, licking her dry and cracked lips. She took a deep breath, wincing at the sharp pain it caused._

_"Short breaths for now. Three of your ribs were broken and your left arm is also." Dr. Klein set the papers back down and moved closer to Hope, hands in his pockets, "You have a slight concussion and your pelvic bone was fractured."_

_"...my...baby..." Hope gasped out, tears floating to her eyes. Dr. Klein looked down at her, eyes sorrowful._

_"Ms. Stantz...I'm very sorry, but the impact killed the fetus." He watched as Hope fell apart into a series of silent tears, "Your brother is outside. Do you want me to send him in?"_

_Hope gave a small nod and the doctor walked away, his footsteps being replaced with heavier ones as Ray rushed into the room._

_"Hope..." He began as he slowed his step, coming closer to her, "I'm so sorry Hopie..."_

_Hope outstretched her arms to him, crumpling into tears as she waited for him to hug her. Ray took her in his arms and held her, rocking her back and forth as she cried._

_"HOPE!" Egon's voice called out from behind the door as Ray and Hope stared at it, hearing voices telling Egon to calm down._

_"Y-you c-ca-can't tell h-him Ray!" Hope sobbed, pulling back from Ray's arms to look him in the eyes, "Please, n-not e-ever."_

_"Hope, I can't d-"_

_"Promise m-me!" Hope cried out, her cut up hands gripping his forearms, "Y-you have t-to p-promise."_

_Hope stared up at her brother, begging him to make the promise to her. Ray nodded his head once and licked his lips nodding again and again and again._

_"Hope!" Hope and Ray looked over at Egon, who had burst through the door. It took only one glance at him for her to begin sobbing again, Egon thinking because of the accident Ray knowing otherwise. Egon rushed forward, taking Ray's place on the bed holding Hope, "Every thing's okay now. You're fine."_

_Ray walked from the room and spotted Winston and Peter. Both of them stared at him, waiting for an explanation to everything that had happened, but all Ray could do was shake his head and sit down beside them._

_Egon held Hope tightly against him, whispering in her ear. She sobbed harshly into his shirt, clinging to him for dear life until she fell asleep in his arms in the hospital, thinking of what could have been._

Hope fought against the slime that held her prisoner and swam up, gasping for air when she reach the top. She spluttered a few times, huffing and crying because of the memory the slime had forced her to remember.

"Hope! Over here!" Winston called out from a platform to the side. He leaned over the side of the platform he was on with a hand outstretched, waiting for her to take it, "Take my hand!"

Hope raised her right arm out and as she was pulled along in the current her hand latched onto Winston's. Winston pulled Hope onto the platform he was on, coughing and gasping like a fish, tears still falling from her eyes though no one could tell with the slime on her face. She wiped the slime from every where on her face and neck, looking over at him.

"You alright?" He asked as took another deep breath again and sat up. Hope gave a nod and flopped down beside him, taking several deep breaths. Hope looked back at the river of slime and then to the opening in the tunnel where she had come in from, waiting to see one of the others, praying that she hadn't lost one of them like she had lost the baby.


	15. Chapter 15: Happy New Years

Wow, thank you guys so much for all the reviews lately!

Makes me want to write more often then I am, *hint hint*.

Sorry this chapter is so short though, the one before it took a lot out of me.

* * *

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Hope and Winston spent minute after agonizing minute staring at the opening into the tunnel, waiting for Ray and Egon to appear. A few more minutes went by and then something dark floated in, instantly being recognized by Hope.

"Egon!" She yelled out and scrambled to the side of the platform. Egon grabbed hold of the side of the platform, trying to pull himself up as Winston sat up and watched. Hope grabbed a hold of the belt Egon wore and helped him up onto the platform.

"I kept...calling your name...and...and you never...answered." Egon huffed as he laid back and breathed deeply a few times, eyes closed, "I thought...I had lost...you like the...the last time..."

Hope laid beside him with an arm over his chest, feeling sadness sweep over her again. Egon's arm came to rest under her head and wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Egon breathed huffed into her hair as he tried to catch his breath, not noticing that Hope was shaking with silent tears.

"You guys!" The familiar voice caused Hope and Egon to sit up and stare out at the river. Ray floated in, arms flailing as he tried to move closer to the side of the tunnel they were on. Hope moved to the edge of the platform and kneeled again.

"Grab my hand!" Hope reached out from where she kneeled on the side of the subway line, staring at Ray as he moved in the river of slime. Ray outstretched his hand, catching Hope's before he was dragged further along, "Hey you guys! Grab me! I'm gonna fall in!"

Egon and Winston moved forward and grabbed a hold of Hope to make sure she didn't fall back in. Slowly they pulled Ray out of the river and onto the platform, safe and sound. Hope sat on the ground and looked around, searching for a way out.

"Over there!" Hope called out, pointing to a sewer cap nearby. Egon outstretched his hand to her and helped her up as they all walked to the ladder, leading up to the city. Ray was first up the ladder and out of the tunnel and then Winston.

"Go ahead." Egon gave Hope a gentle push towards the ladder next. Hope began to climb with Egon close behind her, making sure that she wouldn't slip and fall.

"Nice going Ray." Hope heard Winston comment as she got to the top of the ladder, "What are you tryin' to do? Drown me?"

Hope tried pulling herself onto the street, but felt her foot slip. Egon placed a hand on the back of her leg as she tried again.

"Babe, I need a push." She grunted out as she tried to pull herself out again. She felt Egon push her up enough for her to crawl onto the street and out of the way for him to climb the rest of the way up.

"Oh yeah, Zeddemore! Like it was my fault!" Ray yelled out as he and Winston began to fight, "You were too stupid not to drop that club line!"

"You guys! Stop it!" Hope yelled out as she ran between the two, placing a hand on each of their chests.

"You'd better watch your mouth or I'll punch your lights out!" Winston tried to move forward, but stopped at the pressure of Hope's hand.

"Oh yeah!" Ray called back, trying to move forward also.

"Yeah!"

"Well any time!"

"How 'bout now!?" Winston called out as the two began to shove each other while Hope still stood between them.

"Egon!" Hope called out as Egon climbed up through the hole in the street.

"Wait! Wait!" He called out as he looked at the two and then down at himself, realization crossing his face. Hope felt herself pushed into Winston as Ray tried to hit him.

"Egon! Help!" She called out trying to break the two up.

"Stop! **Stop it!**" Egon rushed over and tried pushing Ray and Winston away from each other, "Take your clothes off! Take your clothes off now!"

Hope stared at Egon a moment as he began to rip off his yellow jacket covered with the slime and then began to do the same. She ripped off her jacket and then took off the top layer of pants she wore.

"Oh Ray. What were we doing?" Winston suddenly asked as he took a deep breath, looking over at Ray who shook his head, "I was ready to kill you there."

"It's this stuff." Ray answered as he looked over the slime on the ground, "It's like pure concentrated evil."

"And it's all flowing right to this spot." Egon stated at he pointed at the building they stood in front of. Hope looked behind her as she groaned at what building it was.

"The museum of art?" She groaned again and waved her arms in exasperation. At least it isn't the Natural History Museum...I hate job hunting- she thought as she placed her hands on her hips, feeling a little more like herself since she had removed most of the slime.

"We have to go tell Venkman." Ray stated as he looked at each of them.

"What the hell. Why not?" Hope shook her head, not caring at this point in time enough to argue.

They all rushed down the street, heading towards the restaurant Peter was at with Dana and walked right in, none of them caring that they were sticky and under dressed.

"Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!" The host called out as they walked passed, heading into the main hall where the tables were.

"Venkman!" Ray shouted out and pointed to Peter as the rest of the team followed, Hope trudging more then following. Even after everything that night her conscience continued to tell her that it would all end with jail or worse. Each of the guys were saying something different as they all walked up to the table Peter and Dana sat at.

Dana and Venkman both looked worriedly towards Hope, trying to make out what they each were saying.

"Boys! Boys! You're scaring the straights, okay!? Is there anyway we can do this tomorrow!?" Peter spoke sternly, looking at everyone else who was staring at the table.

"This won't wait until tomorrow Venkman!" Egon spoke up as Hope stood behind his seat. She rubbed a hand over her face, trying not to think about what she looked like to all the other people in the room listening to them, "It's hot and it's ready to pop!"

"Yeah, it's all over the city. Well, actually under it." Ray quickly got in.

"It's all flowing right to the museum." Egon went on, ignoring what Ray had said.

"Yeah, the museum!" Ray shouted and jerked out his arm, intent on pointing in the direction of the museum, instead spraying a table of two with the slime, "Oops. Sorry."

"Wait the museum I work at?" Dana piped up, looking shocked and then looking up at Hope to see if it were true.

"Yeah." Hope nodded her head, wishing it weren't true herself. Peter looked at the other and then at Dana.

"I was gonna tell you between the main course and desert, honest." He began taking one of her hands in his, "You're gonna find a new job and th-."

"There they are!" Hope turned her head and looked back at the entrance to see the host and the police standing beside him, pointing at Peter's table.

"Great..." She whispered, placing her hand on Egon's shoulder and giving him a small squeeze. He turned and looked up at her and then over at the police when she hinted towards the entrance. Ray and the others noticed the police when they walked up, taking Hope by the elbow first and then 'seizing' the others.

"Good, we have to speak with the mayor!" Ray called out as they were all dragged outside the restaurant, repeating everything they had told Dana and Peter inside. They were placed into two cop cars; Hope, Ray, and Peter in one and Egon and Winston in the other. The sirens began on the cop cars as they drove off towards the mayor.

"So, I see you guys went for a swim." Peter spoke up from beside Hope who was stuck in the middle.

"Shut it Venkman." Hope growled and kept her gaze forward not wanting to talk or be talked to. They passed people on the streets who were signing and laughing and wearing the familiar silly hate decorated with glitter, spelling 'HAPPY NEW YEARS'. Hope growled again and closed her eyes, leaning back, "I'm beginning to hate this holiday."


	16. Chapter 16: Slime Square

**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Hope leaned against Egon, eyes closed and arms wrapped around herself, feeling exhausted from all the excitement and sorrow the night had brought her. The Ghostbusters had been led to the Gracie Mansion by the cops where the Mayor's office sat, but unfortunately they weren't alone in the room.

"So, Hope when's the big day?" Sitting in a chair before the Mayor's desk was Jack Hardemeyer, the Mayor's assistant and over all prick, "Cause I'd really love to see how it ends up. You know, fiancé being who he is along with your brother."

"Too bad your not invited." Hope retorted back, giving him a snobbish glare, "You can just ask your parents about it when they get back from the reception at The Carlyle."

Jack gave her a pointed look and then crossed his legs, casually looking around the room at the rest of the Ghostbusters. Hope didn't like him and neither did Peter. He had said so when Jack had walked into the room, referring to him as the Mayor's pet.

"So tired..." Hope whispered to no one in particular. She gave a big yawn and felt Egon wrap an arm around her waist, placing a single kiss on her forehead.

"Ghostbusters..." The voice caused everyone in the room to look to the door and see Mayor Lenny walking in. Each of the guys gave their own hello as the doors to the room were closed once more. Lenny looked at each of them, his eyes narrowed, "What is this? A slumber party?"

Jack gave a small snicker as Hope stood up straighter and glared at him.

"Shut it Hardemeyer." She snapped and then looked over at Lenny, feeling Jack's eyes on her.

"Look, what ever your excuse is I don't want to hear it." Lenny walked over and sat down in a chair in the middle of the room, "You've got two minutes."

"Uh...well ah..." Ray stumbled, preparing to talk for the group, "It's a great pleasure to see you again mister Mayor. Almost fifty percent of us voted for you."

"I appreciate that." Lenny looked at Hope from the corner of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry we meet under these circumstances." Hope apologized, trying to earn the boys some brownie points. Lenny gave a small nod, taking it and looked back at Ray.

"Mister Mayor, we're here because a psycho magnotheric slime flow of immense proportions is building up beneath the city in the old Pneumatic transit line." Ray explained as he played with one of the cigars he had plucked from the mayor's desk. There goes the brownie points...

"Psycho what?" Lenny asked, completely thrown by the word and everything else that had just seemed to pour from Ray's mouth without restraint.

"Psycho magnotheric." Egon answered back immediately without a second thought.

"Big word." Peter nodded sarcastically, earning a sharp smack to the back of his head from Hope.

"Now is not the time." She growled as she wrapped her arms around herself again.

"Negative human emotions are materializing in the form of psycho reactive plasm with supernatural potential." Egon continued as he let go of Hope and leaned down on the back of the couch where Peter sat.

"Does anyone speak English here?" Lenny asked as he looked from Egon to Hope, praying that she would explain it it in normal terms to him.

"Uh, yeah. See," Winston took up first and kneeled beside the Mayor, "All the bad feelings; rage, anger, violence in this city is turning into this sludge! I didn't believe it at first, but we just went for a swim in it and almost ended up killing each other because of it!"

"This is insane! I mean, do we really have to listen to this?" Jack burst out.

"No one asked you to be here Hardemeyer. Leave if you want to." Hope sent him another glare, moving to sit beside Peter on the couch.

"You'd like that wouldn't you, Stantz?" Jack snapped as Hope looked to Ray and then Peter, finding the question stupid. They returned her look, neither speaking though.

"Is this a trick question, Jackie boy? I would kick you out myself if I had the energy." Hope turned back to the Mayor and laced her hands in her lap, "Mister Mayor this stuff is extremely dangerous. I was nearly killed by it myself one night out of the blue because it came through my sink. Here, look I have proof."

Hope rolled up her left sleeve and showed the purple and yellowish bruise on her arm. She then rolled up her other sleeve enough to see her wrist that was a similar coloring.

"People will get hurt if we don't act now and stop it before it becomes irremediable." She took a quick look at her own wounds and then turned back to the Mayor. Egon placed his hands that were on the back of the couch to her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. Hope placed one of her own on his, her eyes never leaving the Mayor. Lenny stared at Hope's arms a moment longer, no words seeming to form when Peter suddenly cut in.

"Lenny, have you been out on the streets lately?" Peter jumped in and stood from the couch, walking behind Jack and then beside the Mayor himself, "Do you know how _weird_ it is out there? We've taken our own head count. There are at least three million **completely **miserable assholes living in the tri-state area."

"Oh please..." Jack groaned as he rearranged himself on the chair he sat in.

"Hardemeyer, shut up before I find the strength to make you." Hope growled as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the couch. Jack shot her a look and turned back to the Mayor, everyone in the room realizing the anger between the two.

"I'm sorry, three million and one." Peter corrected himself as he gave Jack a pat on the shoulder.

"And what bungee brain here doesn't realize," Ray began as he pointed to Jack, "Is that if we don't do something fast this whole place is going to blow like a frog on a hot plate."

"Yeah right." Jack commented as Hope looked behind him at Peter, motioning something with her hand. Peter recognized what she wanted and quickly and sharply smacked Jack in the back of the head. She gave a small laugh and felt Egon give her shoulder another squeeze. Lenny looked to the floor and stood from his seat, looking around at them all.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked, unsure of what they were asking of him, "Go on television and tell three million people that they have to be nice to each other?"

He turned away from them all, honestly trying to think of what he could possibly do and whether or not the Ghostbusters were right. He shook his head and looked back at them all.

"Being miserable and treating others like dirt is every New Yorkers God given right! Your two minutes are up." Lenny walked to the door of the room and out, slamming it behind him. Hope leaned her head back against the couch again and sighed.

"We could just go to the papers. You know, scare everyone and then he would have to do _something_." She offered as she rubbed her eyes and pulled down her sleeves again.

"Good idea. We could call it 'Times Square Slime'?" Ray offered as he looked around at them. Hope shook her head and gave a small laugh, standing from the couch and walking beside Egon.

"Slime Square?" Egon suggested, earning agreeing head nods and comments.

"Fine, fine, fine." Jack stood from his seat, not liking what they were planning on doing, "But before you go running off to the newspapers with this...would you mind telling this _slime_ business to some of our people downtown?"

Hope recognized that tone that Jack took and the little gleam in his reptilian eyes. She looked at the guys, shaking her head as fast as she could and mouthing 'no'. Each of the guys looked at her and then at each other. Hope knew that they weren't going to agree with her because, well let's face it, none of them except her were really _in tune_ with people trying to trick them.

"No, we can't. It's a tra-" She began only to have her mouth covered by Peter. She struggled against him, pulling at his hand and trying to speak through it.

"It's got to be done right away." He answered, trying to do his best to keep Hope from opening her mouth. Jack gave a smile and nodded his head, the gleam becoming bigger.

"Of course. Come with me." Jack led them all out the doors and outside. Hope followed at the back, telling each of the guys that this was a bad idea, none of them listening to her. They walked outside where cars sat, waiting for them when two men in uniform walked up to Hope. They took her by her elbows, making her panic at the familiar 'seizing' action.

"You guys! Hey!" She screamed out as the men dragged her to one of the cars. The guys looked over at her and tried to run to her, but were stopped by other men in uniform grabbing them and pulling them over to a separate car. Hope was forced into a restraining jacket and then buckled into the seat, screaming and kicking as they drove off.

"No! Let me go!" She was pulled from the car by the same men who had put her in it and escorted into a white building labeled 'Mental Health Facility'. The guys came soon after, each wearing a restraining jacket and screaming for anyone to listen to what they had to say.

"We're just trying to help!" Ray yelled out as he tried to break free from the jacket.

"The city's in danger!" Winston called after.

"You have to listen to us!" Egon was last while Peter and Hope were quiet as they all were pulled into a hall with Jack and a doctor. Hope tried to pull free from the men who still held onto her, but failed and was rewarded with their grasp tightening on her arms.

"The Mayor wants them all kept under strict observation for the next few days." Jack gave a small smile to himself as he looked at the Ghostbusters and then looked down at the doctor beside him, "We think they're seriously disturbed and possibly _dangerous_."

"We'll do what ever is necessary." The doctor looked at the guys and then at Hope, "Escort this one to the women's wing please."

"What? No. No! You can't separate us! No! Egon! Ray!" Hope screamed as she felt the pressure on her arms build from the hands of the men in uniform that had yet to let go of her, "Let me go!"

"No! Let her go!" Egon called out as he struggled against his jacket and the man that held him, trying to get to her. Hope looked back at Egon, trying to wiggle free from the man's hold on her arm.

"Egon! No, no! Egon!" Hope screamed out as she was brought down a separate hall from the guys, kicking, flailing, and screaming everything she could think of.


	17. Chapter 17: Anger and Worries

Oh, my gosh you guys! I just finished writing chapter twenty-two and it looks like that may be the ending chapter. When I post it you're going to have to tll me whether or not to continue, seriously! Remember **twenty-two, 22, 2-2**, got it? Please and thank you!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Hope had been dragged off to the women's wing and made to clean up and change her clothes into the dull light blue ones they had given her. Afterwards she was placed back into the restraining jacket and put into a padded room.

She now sat on the floor in a corner, leaning her head against the padded wall with eyes closed. She listened to the people outside the room, talking and walking through the halls, wishing she were with Egon right now...or at least in a bed.

Without meaning to or wanting to exhaustion took her and she fell asleep, only to be woken up by the sound of the door opening.

"Stand up." Hope looked up at the man and a women in white uniforms and did as she was told.

"Where's Egon and Raymond?" She asked, though both of them ignored her, "Where's the rest of my friends?"

The woman walked behind her and undid the restraining jacket and then moved back in front of her, placing a white plastic bracelet on her wrist.

"Where are they?" Hope tried again, losing her patience.

"They're fine now walk." The woman didn't even look at her as she stepped to the side and pointed towards the door of the room. Hope stared at her, jaw tight and becoming hard headed. She suddenly felt the woman push her a little towards the door of the room and moved mechanically. The man took her by the arm when she had stepped out the door and began leading her down the hall.

"Where are you taking me?" Hope asked, knowing that her voice fell on deaf ears. She watched the doors she passed and then walked through a set in the hall, leading to another hall. The woman walked ahead of them and opened a door, holding it open for Hope and the man to walk through.

"Tell me where you're taking me! I want to see my brother! Ray!" Hope was dragged into another hallway, lamely jerking herself around to try and have the man let her go. The woman walked ahead again as Hope was pulled to a stop in the hall before a door, "I want to see Egon! I want to see my fiancé!"

"Hope!?" The woman opened the door from where the voice had sounded as the man ushered Hope inside. The room was dark apart from one light that sat above a small table where the guys and the doctor sat. Egon stood from his seat and rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? They haven't given you anything, have they?"

"What do you mean given me something."

"Pills or anything?" Egon asked further, Hope shaking her head.

"No, they put me in a padded room." Hope whispered, pulling him tighter to her. She gave a small laugh and thought for a moment, "If it had been any other time I would have gone wild in there. Seems like it could be fun when you don't _have _to be there._"_

"So this is your fianceé." Hope and Egon pulled apart and looked back at the table and to the doctor who stared at them as though calculating something, "Please join us, Ms. Stantz."

Egon took Hope by the hand and led her over to the table, sitting her across from the doctor and beside himself and Ray. Ray gave her a sorrowful look as he crossed his arms over his chest, all of them waiting to be questioned and evaluated.

"So tell me about this...painting at the museum." The doctor asked as he raised a hand to his chin, looking around at them all, waiting for someone to answer, "Anyone."

"As I've already said before," Ray began, looking down at the table top, "we think the spirit of a seventeenth century Moldavian tyrant is alive and well and living inside a painting at the Manhattan Museum of Art."

"Uh-huh and are there any other paintings in the museum with bad spirits in them?" The doctor asked, earning a scoff from Hope and a head shake from Egon.

"There's one of Jack Hardemeyer. So you tell us." Hope snapped, leaning back in her chair. The doctor gave Hope a strange looked and laced his hands together on the table.

"Do you, Ms. Stantz, believe that Mr. Hardemeyer is an evil spirit?" The doctor asked seriously, causing Hope to stare at him as though he were dumb.

"You have got to be kidding me." Hope spoke after a moment, shaking her head, "No, I do not!"

"You're wasting valuable time questioning us. He's drawing power from a psycho magnotheric slime flow that's been collecting under the city." Egon explained calmly as he looked towards the doctor, pulling his attention away from Hope.

"Yes, tell me about the slime." The doctor prodded.

"It's very potent stuff. We made a toaster dance with it." Winston spoke up, looking down at the table top, "And a bathtub tried to eat his friend's baby."

Winston pointed to Peter, who lifted his head from the table, staring back at him as though he was insane.

"Don't look at me. I think these people are completely nuts. I didn't need the meds, they do." Peter sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Anyways, Hope's the one whose sink was trying to hold her prisoner."

Hope stared at Peter incredulously, unable to believe that he would pawn off what had happened to her to try and remove the attention from himself.

"Is this true?" The doctor asked as he looked over at her.

"Yeah, two-hundred percent true." Hope shook her head slowly, still staring at Peter, hate bubbling in her eyes.

"In her defense she is a bimbo." Peter spoke, looking back at the doctor and then at Hope, eyes tired. Hope stared at him a minute, finding the name 'bimbo' towards her odd, even from him. Peter gave her a small eye roll as Egon placed a hand on Hope's leg, trying to keep her calm though she wasn't exactly angry anymore. Hope put two and two together and took a deep breath.

"I cannot believe you...you selfish, arrogant, ass!" She burst out, figuring out that Peter had something planed and flung herself across the table at him. Egon and Ray caught her as Peter quickly stood from his seat acting as though surprised by her outburst. Hope fought against Egon and Ray, trying to claw at Peter, "You son of a bitch!"

"No need for name calling, Your Highness." Peter used another unfamiliar nickname as he calmly watched two men in white uniforms rush forward and grab Hope, pulling her off the table and out of Ray and Egon's hands, "She's crazy, that one!"

Egon looked from Hope and over at Peter, his own anger was flaring at his friend's words. Apparently, Egon had no clue as to what was going on and Hope didn't exactly understand it either as she continued to fight against the hands on her.

"You stingy jackass!" Egon sprang at him and grabbed a hold of his ward shirt, tackling him to the ground. Ray and Winston pulled the two from each other, Ray and Egon falling on the ground. Hope felt herself pulled towards the door of the room, kicking and flailing like a fish as she tried to run at Peter again.

"Peter, when this is all over I'm going to kick your ass from here to Timbuk-fuckin-tu!" Hope screamed out as she was pulled from the room and down the hall, plan seeming to fail or so she thought. She was placed into a restraining jacket once more and then returned to the padded room with a needle in one of the nurse's hands.

"You can't!" Hope yelled out, trying to push away the needle.

"Don't worry. We already now about your _condition_."The nurse responded calmly as the other held Hope down, "It's just a mild sedative."

"How?" Hope asked as she tried to shrink away from the needle.

"You can thank that Peter fellow; told me during the commotion and swore if I did anything to you that he'd sick your brother on me." The nurse injected the sedative into her neck with a small genuine laugh, "If we hadn't of know, things could have ended badly for you."

They left Hope in the room where she sat in the corner once more.

So Peter knew already- she thought as she leaned her head against the padded wall -I wonder how and for how long...?

Hope closed her eyes, feeling the sedative take effect and fell asleep.

"Hope?" Hope's eyes fluttered open as she looked to the man kneeling before her, holding her head in his hands.

"Egon...?" She asked slowly as she tried standing up, noticing that he was wearing the familiar Ghostbusters uniform.

"What did they give you?" Egon asked, wrapping an arm around her waist, helping her stand.

"A sedative." Hope spoke as she felt her head bob, the sedative wearing off. Egon helped Hope walk from the room, each of her steps becoming stronger, "We can leave?"

"The Mayor released us a few minutes ago. Apparently the city's in a state of panic with the slime reeking havoc." Egon stopped them when they walked to the front desk, "We called Louis. He brought the car and gear so we have to leave immediately."

"Hope!" Hope's eyes landed on Ray and Winston who stood by the front desk in their Ghostbusters uniform, "Are you alright?"

Hope knew his words had a double meaning to them and she nodded her head, answering both meanings.

"Yeah, where's Peter?" She replied and took the uniform Winston was holding.

"In the car already." Ray told her, "You're going to have to change on our way there."

"Alright, but why and where to?" Hope asked, forgetting about the city's panic. Egon and Ray both ushered her out the building, Winston following behind. Egon helped her into the back of the car as Ray and himself followed in, Winston climbing into the driver's seat.

"So, how's the amazon warrior Princess doing after her nap?" Peter looked back at Hope, no sign of her out burst disturbing him.

"I'm fine thank you." Hope smiled at him and turned her back to him and Ray sat in front of her, blocking any view of her changing.

"Aw, that's no fun." Peter complained and turned back to the front.

"Shut it Venkman." Egon snapped as he helped Hope take off the blue top. Hope stripped her shoes and pants off, noticing the stare Egon was giving her.

"I know, I got a little chubby over the months; all that damn takeout I've been eating." She replied through a small laugh as she pulled on the Ghostbusters uniform and placed a hand on her belly. Egon looked back up at her eyes and gave a half smirk.

"You were looking too thin and I'd love you the same if you were the size of a panda." He replied seriously, catching Hope by surprise and also by the waist when the car took a sharp turn.

"I was thinking." Hope looked down as she thought about what she wanted to say, "What if we had the wedding in March like you wanted?"

Egon pulled the zipper to her uniform up and held her hands in her lap.

"What ever you want. I just want you to be happy." Egon smiled, his hand gently squeezing hers. Hope smiled and bit her bottom lip, feeling good about everything for the first time in years.

"Alright, enough egghead love. I'm getting sick up hear." Peter called back from the passenger seat, "What does Vigo want with Dana's kid?"

"Vigo wants Oscar?" She asked, looking from Egon to Ray for an explanation. Hope's thoughts stopped for a moment trying to catch up to what was going on.

"He took Oscar from Peter's place a little while ago and Dana went after him." Ray replied, turning around to look at her. Hope gave a small nod, not understanding the reason why Vigo had taken a baby hostage. Ray stares at her as his mind worked, realization settling on his face, "It all fits! Vigo wants in on the twenty-first century. He needs a human body to inhabit."

"So he's going to use Oscar?" Hope pulled all of it together and looked back at Egon, fear rising in her, "Why not just some random hobo off the street?"

"A baby is more susceptible to possession because it doesn't believe or not believe in the paranormal." Ray replied, feeling the same way Hope did.

"We'll get him back." Egon gave her hands a squeeze as she looked at him and nodded her head, praying that he was right. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, each of them in their own thoughts.


	18. Chapter 18: I'm A Ghostbuster

Hey guys! Just wanted to let all my readers know that I have set up a poll on my page about whether I should or should not redo 'Stay Puft' because I have been receiving mixed messages about it. I could really use the opinions from you guys.

Also, I am freaking out about this story's ending. SERIOUSLY you guys, I really do not want to end it! I am having far too much fun with it and so I have decided that I am writting a sequel to this sequel. Thanks for giving the excitement and inspiration!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

They arrived at the Museum of Art only to see that it was completely overtaken by the pink slime. People stood outside it, talking, yelling, and pointing at the building as the Ghostbusters pulled up with, sirens, flashing lights, and all. People moved to create a path while cheering for them as they drove closer to the building.

"Oh my God..." Hope whispered as she stared out the window at the museum, completely in shock, "Look at that, you guys."

"Vigo must be close to getting what he wants." Ray spoke up as the car came to a stop. He stepped out of the car, Hope and Egon following behind. They all walked to the trunk of the car and put on their proton packs, heating them up as they walked to stand in front of the car, "It looks like a giant jell-o mold."

"I really hate jell-o." Hope looked over at Ray, wanting to make a different comment back, but decided against it seeing as this was just how he reacted to fear.

"I hate jell-o too." Winston spoke up, putting his hands on his hips.

"Oh, come on. There's always room for jell-o." Peter commented sarcastically, unable to remove his eyes from the slime. Egon moved closer to Hope, his eyes locked on the giant glob taking over the museum. Hope took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and smiled at him when he looked down at her.

"Some New Years huh?" She asked with a small laugh, trying to push her fears away. Egon took a deep breath and turned back to the museum, never letting go of her hand as they walked forward. The others joined and they all stood there a moment, trying to think about what was going to happen next.

"Pull 'em." Ray commanded as they all took their 'wand' from the packs on their backs. They aimed them at the building, waiting for the next command, "Let's cook it!"

Five streams of blue and orange shot out at the slime covered building. Nothing seemed to happen and after a few more minutes they all shut off their streams, dejected as smoke came from where the slime had been hit.

Boos and shouts surfaced from the crowds behind them all, not in any way making them more hopeful about the situation they were all in. The Ghostbusters retreated back to the car and stood in front of it in a small circle.

"That slime wall is pulsing with evil." Egon started, each of them not knowing what to do, "It would take an enormous amount of positive energy to crack it and I doubt that there's enough goodwill in this town to do it."

"You know," Ray began, picking himself up from the hood of the car, "I just can't believe that things have gotten so bad that there's no way back."

"It's dirty, crowded, and noisy. People would rather step on your face then look at you, Ray." Hope agreed with Egon. New York was the last place she would ever think to have any 'positive' energy let alone goodwill. That had been one reason why she had moved out of it years before finding Ray and the Ghostbusters five years ago.

"Come on! There's got to be at least a little sweetness in this burned out bird! We just need to find a way to mobilize it!" Ray looked at each of them, honestly believing that they could do this.

"Would crackers work?" Hope asked sarcastically as she shook her head and sat on the ground, leaning back against the car, "This town doesn't support us enough to change, even for one night."

"Then we need something that everyone in this town can stand behind." Egon looked at the boys and then down at Hope, his eyes locking on something, "We need..."

Hope lifted her head from her knees and stared up at him when he fell silent. She looked at the others, who seemed as confused as her by Egon's far off look. Peter looked down at her where Egon seemed to be stuck staring, not seeing anything at first.

"We need a symbol." Egon voiced out finally, a smile littering his face as he tore his gaze from Hope.

"Something that appeals to the best in each and everyone of us." Ray looked down at Hope and then immediately back up, same thought that was in Egon's head now in his.

"Something good." Egon kneeled down in front of Hope, eyes locked once again.

"I'm good, but not that good." Hope retorted softly as she looked over at Peter and then at Winston, begging them to give her an answer as to what the other two were thinking. Hope stared up at Winston who only looked back at her.

"Something decent." He agreed, looking back at the others with a smile.

"I'm not that decent either." Hope spoke up a little louder then before, feeling left out from what ever they were planning.

"Something pure." Peter gave a small smile and looked back at Hope.

"I am not pure anymore. That I can assure you of." Hope looked at each of them who only stared at her now, feeling uncomfortable and confused, "What are you all thinking!?"

Peter kneeled beside her and took her chin in his hand, turning it towards the license plate of the car that she sat next to. When she realized it wasn't** her** they were all staring at she gave a cocky smirk and looked back a the rest of them.

"Brilliant." She purred out, an evil scientist look to her face. She now finally understood what they had in mind and agreed completely with it, liking it, maybe even more then they did, "It's perfect."

They all quickly piled into the car again and rode off as fast as they could, heading for New York Harbor.

"She's wonderful." Hope smiled up at the tall copper statue of the woman meaning 'Freedom' that sat on Liberty Island. She looked at the others, a grin beginning to take place of her smile at the thought of using the Statue of Liberty in their plan.

"Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Peter asked from beside Ray, earning all of their attention.

"Wonder what?" Winston asked as he looked passed Hope and Egon to Peter.

"Yeah, what?" Hope asked also, confused and slightly intrigued that Peter's brain was working enough for him to wonder about something.

"What's under that toga." Peter replied a laugh in his voice. Hope rolled her eyes and smacked herself in the face dramatically, "She's French. You know that."

"Peter, you're such an idiot." Hope laughed and walked forward with the bag she carried full of supplies. The boys caught up quickly, each with their own bag, and once they were inside they immediately got to work. Egon and Hope hung speakers with Winston as Ray and Peter set up the controls for the statue.

"Done setting up the microphone!" Hope called out from below Egon, standing from the ground once again with microphone in hand.

"Ready with the speakers Ray!" Egon yelled as he stepped down from where he was.

"Slime primer set!" Winston called out as he fixed the straps of the container of smile he wore on his back. Peter walked up beside Winston, patting the container on his back

"Good slime. Winston is our slime in a good mood tonight?" He asked as he pet the container again, whispering to it.

"I sure hope so. She's a lot bigger then a toaster." He looked around the inside of the statue. Hope walked up beside Ray, making sure his own 'slime primer' container was secure.

"Here Pete." Hope handed Peter the microphone who thanked her and switched it on. Hope followed Egon up the stairs to where they could look out the crown at the city.

"Testing one, two, three. Hey how many of you people are at the national monument? Would you raise your hands please?" Peter followed behind her, "Oh hello miss!"

"Hi Peter." She laughed and stood beside Egon, staring out across the water at New York City. Hope took a whiff of the air and went back to the stairs, the smell getting stronger, "Raymond Francis Stantz, you had better not be smoking those damn cigars again!"

"You're smelling the slime, Hope! Honest!" Ray called back with an accent Hope recognized as 'cigar hanging out of mouth', "I quit, remember?"

"Throw that thing away before** I** keel over from lung cancer!" She yelled back down and then walked to Egon, leaning out the crown windows. Ray and Winston soon came up the stairs and stood beside Hope, Egon, and Peter.

"Every thing's ready." Ray set down a control pad on the little ledge before them, weaseling in beside Hope and Winston.

"It's almost midnight." Egon looked down at the watch on his wrist and looked out across the water, "We need to hurry."

"You're on Pete." Hope leaned against the ledge as Peter flipped on the microphone.

"Here's somethin' off the request list from Liberty Island! We got to squeeze some New Years juice from you Big Apple!" Peter spoke into the microphone as his words reverberated through the statue. Hope laughed and clicked the play button on the tape player, Jackie Wilson's song 'Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher' taking the place of Peter's voice.

Suddenly an explosion broke out from the torch in Lady Liberty's hand and became ablaze with fire. Lady Liberty stepped down from her perch and straight into the harbor, walking through the water towards the city.

"Man I can't wait to see people's faces when we come on shore!" Ray called out, excitement in his voice.

"This is definitely one New Years they'll never forget!" Hope laughed whole heartedly as she stared out the crown and down at the water below. She leaned her head against Egon, a smile plastered to her face as she listened to the music playing through Libby.

When they hit shore they were given a police escort through the city. People were lined up along the streets, cheering and singing as Lady Liberty walked on passed them. Each of them called out from where they were to the people below, telling them to sing.

"No, you sing!" Winston called down at the people below.

"I'm so glad I finally found you! Yes, that one in a million girls!" Hope sang along as she took Egon's hands and began to dance in place, "And I wish my lovin' arms around ya! Honey, I can stand up and face the world!"

Hope laughed as she pointed at Egon and smiled at him. He smiled back and pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Can she go any faster?" Winston called out through the music.

"I'm afraid the vibration would shake her to pieces!" Ray called back as Hope and Egon rejoined them at the crown windows, "We should have padded her feet!"

"I don't think they make Nikkis' in her size, Ray!" Egon replied as Hope gave him a small smack, laughing once again. She leaned back against the ledge, actually feeling happy for the moment and forgetting about what they needed to do.

"Don't worry! Libby's tough!" Peter patted what he could of Lady Liberty's head, "She's a harbor chick!"

Libby took another step and came down upon a cop car, crushing it into a piece of flat blue and white metal. Hope looked at Egon and then at Ray who was controlling Libby's movements, eyes wide.

"Sorry! My fault!" Ray called down though Hope seriously doubted anyone could hear him over the music and the people's cheering. Liberty approached the museum, reality once again setting in on Hope. Libby stopped and raised her torch up above the large skylight window on the museum.

"Here we go!" Ray yelled out as Hope wrapped her arms around Egon and watched as Libby let her torch fall, shattering the window into a million pieces of raining glass shards.

"Hope, leave your proton pack." Egon told her as she nodded and walked away from her pack.

"Why though?" She asked as he began to hook her to her line.

"It's already too heavy when you're just walking around with it on. If you repel with it then you could dislocate your hip again or worse and we don't want that." Egon looked up at her eyebrow arched stare and shrugged, "I don't want that."

"Alright. For you though." Hope smiled and nodded her head, walking with him to the window. Ray caught her arm just before she was about to repel down.

"Should you really be going with us?" He asked quietly, making sure no one else heard.

"I'm a Ghostbuster, Ray. This is what we do." Hope answered.

"But what about-"

"It's fine. If things get too rough and tough, I'll hide. Alright?" Hope asked, finding that Ray was even more overprotective then Egon was. He was, after all, her older brother and he just wanted to make sure she was alright. Ray nodded his head and each of them quickly threw the ropes they had secured to Libby and repelled down into the museum.


	19. Chapter 19: Libby, The Harbor Chick

Sorry about putting up the same chapter twice there guys. Elessar, you were right. I think the excitement is getting to me!

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****We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

"Happy New Year!" Peter called out once they had all hit the floor of the museum, the others landing only a few seconds after him.

"He is Vigo!" Janosz called out, pointing towards the painting of Vigo, "You are like the buzzing of flies to him!"

"To who Poha!?" Hope called out when she had looked over at the painting. Janosz looked at her and then at the painting, seeing what she did. Vigo was gone from it, leaving an empty background.

"Oh Johnny, did you back the wrong horse." Peter shook his head, a laugh circling his voice as he looked to Winston and Ray, "Hose him!"

Ray and Winston turned on their 'slime primers' and hit Janosz full throttle with the positively charged slime. Janosz slid and fell onto the ground where he was hosed down until he passed out. Winston and Ray shut off their primers and Hope ran over to the strange little man on the ground, checking to see if he was alright. She placed two fingers to the side of his neck, feeling a pulse.

"He's not dead is he?" Dana asked as she moved closer to Peter, who took Oscar with a smile

"No, he's unconscious!" Hope called out as she stood and walked back over to Ray.

"This slime is positively charged. He's gonna wake up feelin' like a million bucks." Ray explained further as he looked around the room. Hope followed his eyes, a feeling that things weren't over in the air.

"You guys..." She spoke up as she walked forward a little, "Some thing's not right here."

A breeze picked up in the room, throwing her hair this way and that as bangs sounded from somewhere in the building, like doors slamming closed. Something beside Egon fell, catching everyone's attention as Dana gave a high pitched scream.

They all looked over at her and noticed what had happened. She was restrained by some sort of tubing that came down from the ceiling, wrapping itself firmly around her.

"Get him away!" Dana called out when Peter walked over with Oscar in his arms.

"It won't budge!" Hope pulled at the tubing, feeling that it was useless. Peter walked away with the baby and set him out of sight behind a turned over table.

"Get a knife or something! We gotta cut her out of this!" Ray called out as he looked from Hope to Winston. Hope patted herself down, trying to think of what she could use as a knife and then spotted a shard of glass.

"Found something!" She ran for it and grabbed it from the ground. She was about to turn around, but stopped when she heard heavy steps in the room. Turning around slowly she saw him, Vigo the Carpathian, as he walked closer to the guys. Hope hid herself slowly behind a pillar as fear gripped her heart and gripped the shard of glass tighter in her gloved hands. She watched from around the pillar as a chill ran down her spine, causing her to drop the glass and catching Vigo's eyes on the pillar she stood behind.

"Hold it right there, deadhead!" Ray called out and aimed his primer at the ghost, trying to draw his attention away from Hope. Vigo looked at him with that beastly look of his as Ray flipped on his primer pack, "You want a baby!? Go and knock up some willing hell hound! Otherwise I'm giving you to the count of three to get back in that painting where you belong! One!"

Vigo's lips curled into a sinister smirk as he watched Peter and Egon join Ray and Winston.

"Two!" Vigo raised his left hand and then made a choking motion in the air.

"Three!" Ray yelled out ready to shoot when Hope felt herself pulled from her spot and placed in the choke hold, feet dangling off the ground. Ray lowered the primer and stared at Hope, worry in his eyes, "Hope!"

"Let her go!" Egon yelled out and made to move forward before Winston caught his jacket. Vigo looked at Egon a moment and then at Hope. Hope struggled against his grasp on her throat, trying to pry it away. Vigo gave a snort of a laugh and placed his right hand on Hope's belly.

"...h-help...m-me..." She sputtered as she tried to kick her legs to push him away. Vigo's hand glowed a reddish color as Hope felt something warm in the pit of her belly beginning to build.

"Leave her alone!" Egon called out as he fought against the hold Winston had on him.

"Great going Ray! He's found the only knocked up hell hound in the entire city of New York." Peter scoffed sarcastically and raised his proton pack wand at Vigo. Ray stared at Peter a moment longer and then looked over at Egon with a sheepish and frightful look.

"She was gonna tell you." He began, noticing that Egon was beginning to stop struggling as he looked from Ray to Hope, confusion sinking in on him, "Honest, she was."

Hope tried to look at the others, hearing part of the conversation that was going on and worrying about what Egon was going to do. A sharp pain took hold of her middle causing her to release an ear piercing scream as she began to struggle harder.

"...s-sto-stop...h-h-him...!" She spluttered and tried to kick harder. Tears rushed to her eyes as her nails dug into his hands, "...y-you c-ca-can't...h-have my b-baby!"

"Shoot!" Peter called out as he let a stream fly from his pack. He looked over at Egon who stood lamely staring at Hope, "Egon! Shoot him if you want to save that kid and fiancée of yours!"

Egon came out of his daze and let a stream surge from his pack at Vigo without a second thought. Vigo's right hand fell from Hope's belly as the warm and painful sensation subsided. His left hand tightened on her throat, blocking all air from getting to her lungs as he shook from the power of the proton streams. Hope's face began to turn red as she felt her lungs cringing for oxygen. She clawed at Vigo's hand and kicked again, praying to be let go.

Vigo gave a loud roar and flung his arms out, sending a wave of his own power back at the guys. Hope flew and hit hard against a pillar behind Ray and Winston where she slid to the ground on her back, coughing and gasping. Peter, Ray, Winston, and Egon were hit with a second wave and thrown to the ground.

"That was really _stupid_." Winston commented from his state on the ground.

"Ray can you move!?" Egon called out as he tried to move. He struggled against some invisible restraints and stopped when he found it useless.

"No. You?" Ray called back and tried to look at what held him.

"No." Egon replied and took a deep breath, "Venkman?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Peter called back as he tried to move.

"Hope!?" Egon shouted out, trying to move his head enough to see more then her feet, "Hope are you alright!? Can anyone see her!?"

"Princess is out cold, egghead." Peter called out as he looked up at Hope, whose head was close to his. She lay on her side with her eyes closed and unconscious, "She's seems alright."

"Can you get to her?" Egon called back, trying again against the invisible restraints. Peter looked over at Ray, trying to see passed him to Egon.

"Um, no Egon. I'm a little tied up at the moment like yourself. Remember?" Peter retorted as Vigo began to walk away from the guys.

"Ray, why didn't you tell me!?" Egon shouted, frustration and also worry about his unborn child surfacing.

"I didn't know until a few days ago! She said she wanted to surprise you!" Ray called back as he tried to look at Hope himself. Egon stopped thrashing against his restraints and looked to Hope's feet, trying to catch his breath.

"_I know, I got a little chubby over the months; all that damn takeout I've been eating."_

Egon thought about the sentence for a moment, remembering that he had been curious days ago as to why Hope was eating so much and such a variety she never liked before.

"How far along is she?" He asked finally, not being as frustrated as before, but more worried then ever.

"Seven weeks, I think she said?" Ray returned as Vigo walked to where Peter had hidden Oscar and in a second held him in his hands.

"No...No!" Dana called out as she struggled against th tubing keeping her in her spot. She looked over at the guys for a moment and then at her child, "Please! Do _something_!"

"Not so fast Vigo!" Peter called out as he shimmied his way across the floor, "Hey! Vigo! You, the bimbo with the baby!"

Vigo looked at Oscar in his hands and then down at Peter with a scowl.

"Anyone tell you the big shoulder look is out?" Peter asked as he stared up at Vigo, doing _something_ as asked, "You know, I have met some** dumb** blondes in my life, but you...you take the taco pal."

Vigo growled down at Peter, his teeth bared like a dog as Peter moved himself a little closer. A moan came from behind the boys as Hope moved slightly on the ground. Her breath became deeper as she tried opening her eyes to see the ceiling, pains and aches along her back.

"Only a Carpathian would come back to life now and choose New York!" Peter's voice grew louder as he gave a single taunting laugh. Hope blinked her eyes and turned to her right to see the top of Ray's head.

"Ray..." She reached out her hand, barely grazing his hair. She felt herself begin to drift back into unconsciousness as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Hope!" Ray called out, trying to look behind him at her. Winston over at her and then back at Ray.

"Hope!?" Egon called out, fighting against his bonds again. Hope turned her head left and right slowly, fighting the darkness that threatened to swallow her.

"She's bleeding." Winston announced, making Hope feel the stinging pain in her back even more from where the glass had cut her.

"It's just a few scratches." She breathed out as she looked down at the stream of blood that had come from her back and tainted the glass shards closest to her.

"Tasty pick...BONEHEAD! If you had brain 1 in that **huge** melon on top of your neck you would be living the sweet life out in southern California's beautiful San Fernando Valley!" Peter yelled out as Vigo opened his mouth, anger spiking and let out a stream of bright blue light. It hit each of them, including Hope. She let out a shrill scream because of the pain it caused her, tears rushing to her eyes. She saw the guys glow a purplish color as each of them fought against the pain they were feeling.

"..._**Now we become one**_..." Vigo's voice sounded through the room as he raised Oscar up. Oscar began crying as singing of 'Auld Lang Syne' filled the room from outside the museum.

"Where's that singing coming from?" Ray asked as he and Winston looked up at the broken window in the ceiling.

"People outside." He answered, just as astonished as Ray was. Vigo began to growl as he fought against something inside of him, jerking his head this way and that harshly.

"He's weakening! The singing is neutralizing the slime!" Egon called out as Vigo began shake violently. Peter shimmied closer, preparing to catch Oscar if he fell.

"I can move!" Ray got up from the floor, leaving his 'slime primer' and was followed by Winston and Egon. The tubing around Dana fell as she rushed forward. Vigo dropped Oscar who was caught by Peter. Vigo disappeared for a moment and then reappeared in front of the painting.

"He's back in the painting!" Egon shouted as they all ran to it. Colors swirled behind Vigo as his face distorted in and out until he came to look like a devil with horns and red eyes.

"Vigi, Vigi, Vigi, you've been a bad monkey!" Peter called out as he, Winston, and Egon raised up their weapons to him as Ray drifted in front of them.

"Uh, Ray. We'd like to shoot the monster, could you move?" Egon called out as Ray didn't budge. Hope picked herself up from the floor and looked at her brother in front of the painting. Several thoughts ran through her head as her eyes landed on the 'slime primer'.

"Ray!" Winston called.

"Ray!!" Peter chimed in.

**"Ray!"** They all said in unison as Ray spun around to face them with Vigo's face and eyes.

"No! I, Ray and Vigo, shall rule the Earth! Be gone you pitiful half-lings!" Ray called out in Vigo's voice as the guys looked at each other with strange expressions. Hope moved up beside Winston and Peter, 'slime primer' on her back, wand already drawn out, and pointed towards Ray.

"Shoot!" She screamed as she flipped the machine on, spraying Ray with the positively charged slime. The others didn't need to be told twice and flicked on their own, giving Ray and Vigo everything they had.

Ray fell to the ground leaving Vigo as a giant head floating in front of the painting. The four of them continued to shoot, covering Vigo in a case of slime. The head was pushed back into the painting as an explosion erupting from it, causing each of them to hit the floor, covering themselves and closing their eyes.


	20. Chapter 20: Done It Again

Hey guys, heads up. There is a tie on whether or not I should redo 'Stay Puft' and it has become very difficult for me here with mixed opinions. Honetly, I am so sorry to keep writting about this, but I only want to do what is best for my fans. As of now, I am going to rewrite the story incase the tie subsides, but if it stays a tie or if the 'NO' gets anymore then I am just going to keep the new version in the basement of my computer. Thanks for all the support and reviews!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Hope flew to the ground in a heap, giving a cry of pain as she hit the floor and landing on her wounds. She covered her head as the explosion from he painting circled the room with a blinding light. Things blew around and fell to the ground, making Hope curl into a tight ball.

Slowly, she uncurled herself and took a quick look around, making sure it was over. She sat up, pain searing through her body and removed the primer from her back. She pulled the rubbed gloves off of her hands and threw them to the ground beside her. She stared at the small nicks and cuts that now covered her hands instead and winced when she clenched them.

She looked around the room again, noticing how demolished it was and sighed heavily. She looked over at Ray, who still lay on the floor and made to crawl over to him when Egon and Winston rushed to him.

"Ray!" Egon and Winston took Ray by his elbows, helping him from the ground and keeping him steady from slipping on the slime that covered the marble floors. Ray looked around in a daze, not caring so much about what Egon and Winston were saying to him and then looked at them confused by what had happened.

"How do you feel, Ray?" Winston asked Ray as he and Egon stared at him. Ray looked to him and then at Egon and then back at him like he had just woken up and didn't know what was going on.

"Groovy." Ray replied with a 'far-out' smile on his face as he looked around the room again. He pointed to himself and then at them and then again at himself, a laugh forming in his throat, "I...I love you guys. I love **all **you guys...and I love Venkman and Hopie. Wow...just...WOW."

"Great Ray. That's...great." Winston replied patting him on the shoulder, trying to lead him in a certain direction with Egon. Ray stopped and turned to them again, pointing to each of them.

"Wow...real friendship. That's what this is; amazing." Ray smiled and nodded his head at the thought. Egon and Winston looked at each other, exchanging looks of dislike and turned Ray back to the direction they wanted him to walk in.

"We gotta live with this?" Winston asked, nodding his head to Ray. Egon didn't reply as he and Winston began leading Ray away to check on Janosz.

Janosz lay on the floor in a puddle of slime, singing to himself. His eyes were closed with a bright smile on his face like he was 'high' on something. Egon and Ray helped him from the floor, asking him if he was alright in the process.

"Why am I covered in pink goo?" Janosz asked with the same bright smile.

"You had an slight psycho-reactive episode." Egon answered scientifically as Ray pat Janosz on the shoulder with his own smile. Winston walked away to collect Ray's primer, muttering to himself about 'not being paid enough to do this anymore', earning Hope to laugh as she watched him go.

Hope turned back and looked at Egon and Ray, smiling. She carefully picked herself off the floor and stood up slowly, cringing at the sharp paper cut like pains that shot through her back. She took a few steps and stopped immediately, leaning her side against the nearest pillar. She closed her eyes tightly as she clenched her jaw and concentrated on her breathing, trying to block out the pain the best she could manage.

"You okay there Princess?" Peter asked as he walked up to her with Dana and Oscar, "Or do I have to find lamp with a genie and use one of the wishes on you?"

"No, I'm fine. I just need some sleep." Hope gave a laugh and instantly regretted it as she cringed at the pain in her back. She wrapped an arm around her waist and breathed deeply again, trying to block out the new set of pain surging through her.

"Wow, I can read you like a book." Peter stated as he handed Oscar back to Dana and took off his gloves.

"Who are you kidding Peter? You don't read anything other then Hustler, Playboy, and the occasional Rolling Stone issue." She gave a smaller laugh then the last time and moved closer to them, "I do think I might need a magic carpet to carry me out though. My hip is hurting again."

Hope smiled down at the baby in Dana's arms and gently tickled his belly, making little face at him.

"Hi there Oscar. How are you?" She laughed when Oscar gave another high pitched laugh at her tickling.

"He's alright, I think." Dana replied, trying to get a better hold on Oscar as he squirmed in her arms.

"That's right. He's tough. He is after all named after a hotdog." Peter spoke sarcastically as he stared down at the baby, making little noises that caught Oscar's attention.

"No, I bet he's named after Oscar Levant." Hope smirked, remembering the name and the person it belonged to.

"How did you know?" Dana asked surprised with a smile gracing her lips. Hope gave a small shrug.

"Who is he?" Peter asked, standing straight from playing with the baby.

"A pianist from the 30's." Hope replied and shrugged, turning to Dana, "I used to play the violin till I got into Archeology so I know a bit about the music realm."

Hope looked away from Peter and Dana and over at Egon and Ray, wondering whether or not to go over to them. She also wondered if they even remembered she was in the room or if the excitement had gone completely to their heads.

"Go get him girl." Peter encouraged sarcastically, making Hope laugh again. She lifted a finger to her lips as she walked over and behind Ray and Egon, who were still talking with Janosz.

"Hey, man..." Ray began as Hope stopped behind him and Egon, watching the scene play out, "Let me tell you somethin'...I love you man."

"Yes?" Janosz asked happily as he looked up at her brother, "Well I love you too."

They shared a hug, both laughing like idiots.

"Aw, so touching." Hope gave her own laugh, earning a look from Ray and Egon, both their eyes widening in realization and surprise.

"Hope!" Egon burst out and ran at her, forgetting that she was even there with them. Not on purpose of course; Hope knew that. Scientists- she thought as he pulled her into his arms, rocking her back and forth gently, careful of her back, "I was so afraid that I had lost you this time."

"Remember what I said the last time we were heading into appending doom?" Hope tried to hold back the grin from her face as she pulled back slightly from him. Egon stared down at her, completely lost as to what she had said, "Whenever am I not alright when I'm with you, Egon Spengler?"

Egon gave a smile and leaned down, kissing her sweetly on the lips. He then pulled her closer to him and hugged her tighter then the last time.

"OW! Stop, stop, stop!" She screamed, pushing herself away from him and hissing at the stinging pain in her back, "Bad idea. Hug me like that when I'm all healed."

Egon apologized softly and pushed back some hair that was stuck to her face, giving her another kiss. For the moment he was content with just knowing they were all alright. Later they could talk about the baby, but for now all he cared about was her.

"Hopie! I love you!" Ray burst out, causing Hope and Egon to look at him.

"I love you too Ray." She laughed, knowing that he did, but right now the slime was controlling his brain. Ray looked at Hope with the same smile and wagged a finger at her.

"Hey guys! Come get a look at this!" Winston called out as Hope looked over at him standing before the Vigo painting, hands on his hips. Ray walked off first, Hope beginning to follow behind him when Egon took her arm. She looked up at him questioningly as she shook her head, silently asking him what was wrong.

"You guys! You have to see this! Come look!" Ray yelled to them before Egon could say something more to Hope. Hope gave a small smile, shrugging her shoulders, and took Egon's gloved hand. They began on their way over to the guys as Hope stopped beside Ray and narrowed her eyes at the painting that used to house Vigo.

"Early Renaissance I think." Egon spoke as he walked passed Hope and to the other side of Winston, looking over the new painting that sat in the middle of the room, "Raphael or Petronella Franciska."

"No. No I believe it's one of the Fettuccines." Peter corrected with a food item as Hope gave a small laugh. She shoved him gently and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"You idiot." She laughed again and pinched the bridge of her nose. The painting was of them; all of them. She opened her eyes and looked at the painting, shaking her head once more, "Now I'm hungry..."

The background consisted of clouds and a ray of sunlight that poured down upon them all from an unknown source in the sky, making them look as though they were angelic or divine. In the far back stood Ray, Hope, and Egon while Winston and Peter were in front.

On the far right and wearing a red toga was Ray. On his face sat a smug look that only Ray could pull off. In one hand he held a Hercules club tree leaf while the other her sat on Hope's shoulder.

Beside him was Hope in a white dressy toga that hung loosely on her. Her golden hair cascaded onto her shoulders as a small smile sat on her lips. She held a single white pillar candle that burned as it sat in the palms of her hands while her hands held it in front of her and a little below her chest.

Egon was all the way to the left of the painting beside Hope. He was wearing a yellow toga similar to Ray's except it didn't hug him as much on his shoulders. In one hand he held a dark colored book against his right shoulder while his other hand sat on Hope's other shoulder.

In front of Ray was Peter wearing a green toga that looked as though a clock on him. He had a sarcastic look to his face as one hand pointed to something. His other hand held a dagger that was pointed down at the ground.

On the far left in front of Egon was Winston, who wore a red toga like Ray's. He held a lyre in his hands, seeming to be strumming it with his fingers. He smiled sweetly at what was in the middle of the entire group. Residing on a cloud between them all was baby Oscar in a toga like diaper, looking like cherub.

"Wow. Do you think they'll let us keep it?" Hope whispered to herself, feeling another laugh building within her at the painting. Ray looked at her, giving her a shrug as he fought against a laugh himself.

They stood there a moment longer, admiring the painting done by higher powers that be. Another song from the people outside floated in, causing each of them to remember what they had just accomplished a few moments ago.

"Let's go greet the city, shall we?" Peter spoke up as he led Dana and Oscar out of the room. The others followed behind then and they all walked out of the room and towards the entrance of the building, already hearing the cheers and roars of the citizens outside. They walked through the front doors and the crowd became louder, calling out to them as they came down the stairs like celebrities.

"Ghostbusters! Ghostbusters! Ghostbusters!" The people cheered out as the Ghostbusters walked further down the steps, grinning like idiots. Hope stopped on her next step and placed a hand firmly on her left hip.

"I can't walk any further." Hope spoke up, feeling like she had been run over by a bus from all the injuries she had acquired, "I think I redislocated my hip again."

Before she could even think to sit down on the steps, she felt herself being picked up and carried by Egon. She gave him a wide grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked out at the crowd, laughing and waving to them.

Hope turned Egon to face her and captured his lips in a passionate kiss as the cheering continued with flashes of photos and news reporters talking to cameras. She laughed into the kiss and then pulled away, staring into his eyes.

"Happy New Years Egon." Hope smiled as she smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck again. Egon smiled at her and kissed her lips softly as they began walking to the car that sat in the middle of the crowd.

They got themselves settled inside after a few more waves to the people of New York. Hope, Egon, Peter, and Dana sat in the back like the last time with the company of little Oscar. The rumble of the engine was a welcoming, telling them all they could go home and get some well deserved sleep though Oscar had passed out minutes ago.

"I'm having deja vu here." Peter spoke up as he looked from him and Dana to Egon and Hope. Hope looked at Egon and then back at Peter, shrugging with a tired smile.

The car pulled out and began slowly through the crowd of cheering New Yorkers. Ray shouted out for people to move from in front of the car as Hope looked at him and shook her head, feeling exhausted. She leaned her head against Egon and couldn't keep herself awake any longer. Egon leaned his head against hers, feeling the same and after a few moments they both fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

A single phrase, that Hope knew would be in the papers the next morning, danced around in her head and made her smile in her sleep:

_The Ghostbusters have done it again_


	21. Chapter 21: The Confession

One more chapter! Remember, you have to tell me whether or not the next one should be the end. Otherwise I won't know to continue or to leave it. Thank you all so much!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Hope took a deep breath and let it out through her nose, hearing the familiar chirping outside her window. She slowly sat up in her and Egon's bed, looking at the drape drawn window. She gently pulled herself from the bed, noticing that she was in pajamas and realizing she didn't remember changing into them.

She moved to the window and pulled open the drapes, allowing the sunlight into the room. People were outside walking around on New Years day which had been saved because of the Ghostbusters. Hope turned back and noticed that she was completely alone, but a note sat on Egon's pillow. She picked it up and walked into the bathroom reading:

_I went to G.B.H. to help clean up from last night._

_You wouldn't wake up this morning, so I let you sleep in._

_If you feel up to it stop by._

_-Egon_

Hope gave a small laugh and crumpled the note up, throwing it into the waste bin before climbing into the shower to begin her day. As fast as she could she showered and dressed, then walked outside into the chilly afternoon. She called a cab and headed to G.B.H., walking right in through the door and passed the car.

She walked up to where Janine usually sat and heard voices coming from the small living room over to the side. She took off her jacket and scarf, laying them in Janine's chair. She walked into the other room and noticed Peter, Ray, and Dana talking in a small circle and walked over to them.

"So, you're gonna name it after me right?" Peter spoke up from the group, spotting Hope walking over. Hope lifted her head and gave him a confused look, a smile on her lips. She had no idea what he was talking about and so Peter gave a sarcastic sigh, "The baby, of course."

Hope's eyes went wide as her hand mindlessly came to rest on her belly. She had forgotten completely about it until now. She looked down at the ground, her heart nearly stopping at the thought of the baby's safety that she, the mother, had been careless enough to forget about.

"Hope?" Her eyes turned towards the stairs where Egon and Winston were coming down, "I thought you would have slept longer."

She tried to form words, but couldn't seem to and decided to turn away. She walked towards the entrance to the room, her mind in dark places.

"What'd I say?" Peter piped up, not knowing what he had done.

"She didn't remember about the baby till you mentioned it." Ray explained, crossing his arms over his chest as Egon and Winston continued down them.

"She could have lost the baby, Peter..." Dana whispered to him, knowing that getting hit hard enough or lack of oxygen or even too much stress could cause a miscarriage early on in the pregnancy.

"And we're still not sure what Vigo was doing to her. That could have single handedly ended the pregnancy." Ray concluded, without thinking of what he was saying or the fact that Egon and Hope heard everything.

"Oh." Peter replied lamely as Hope walked from the room, feeling tears sting her eyes. Egon watched her go, the words from the others circling in his head. He had also forgotten about the baby till now. Heck! Up until one o'clock that morning he hadn't even known about Hope being pregnant at all. He was still trying to register it in his head and after a few moments it seemed to finally stick.

Hope walked to the front desk and stopped herself. She rubbed her hand over her belly and then lifted the bottom of the shirt she wore. She looked down at her small swelling belly, that to anyone else seemed just a little chubbier then normal. Tears pricked at her eyes as a million thoughts raced through her head.

"Please be alright...please..." She whispered, rubbing a hand over her skin and letting it rest there as tears fell from her eyes, "I can't handle losing another..."

"Hope!" Egon rushed out from the room the rest were in and over to her. She couldn't look at him, feeling right now as though she had betrayed him in some way, "Hope?"

Egon gently pulled on Hope's shoulder, making her face him. She looked down at the ground, tears falling freely from her eyes as she suddenly collapsed into sobs. Egon caught her as she fell to the ground, holding her tightly to him as she let everything out.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry Egon..." She sobbed as she wrapped her arms tightly around her belly.

"What are you talking about?" Egon asked, confused by what she was sorry for.

"...the accident..." Hope whispered, confusing Egon even more by it.

"Hope, that wasn't your fault." Egon brushed away several strands of hair from her face and gently brushed his thumb over a small bruise on the side of her head she had gotten the night before, "Tell me what's wrong."

"Egon...I...It's just...the day o-of the a-accident..." Hope struggled as she looked down at her arms across her belly, a new wave of tears forming at the memories rushing through her head.

"What happened that day?" Egon asked finally after a moment as Peter, Ray, and Winston stood at the door watching them. Hope closed her eyes and then looked up at him from where she sat on the ground. Egon loosened his grip on her and stared at her, feeling completely hopeless to help her. Hope leaned back against the desk and looked at her arms.

"You r-remember that I had t-told you I had been sick for a w-while before the a-accident?" She asked as tears fell from her eyes, her cheeks becoming redder.

"I told you to go to the doctor." Egon responded as he remembered the conversation he had had with her over the phone one day he was working at the university.

"I d-did go to the doctor." Hope closed her eyes and let a small sob escape through her lips, "Sh-she took some b-blood...and d-did some t-tests on it...and..."

Hope fell silent as her eyes glazed over, thinking back to what the doctor had said. Egon took one of his hands and pushed back the hair in her face behind her ear.

"What did she say was wrong?" Egon pushed as he let his hand cup her cheek. Hope gave a small smile and shook her head.

"Nothing w-was wrong." She laughed softly as tears fell from her eyes. She looked at Egon, her smile falling from her face, "She s-said I was pregnant."

Hope hung her head low as tears fell from her eyes onto her chest. She let out a few strangled sobs and placed her hands to her forehead.

"I was a m-month along. Then the accident h-happened a-and I lost the b-baby." Hope fell into a fit of sobs as she pulled her knees as close to her as she could, hiding her face in them. Ray shooed Winston and Peter back into the living room and shut the door, wanting to give Hope and Egon privacy from their eaves dropping.

"Why didn't you tell me, Hope? When we were at the hospital or anytime after?" Egon asked suddenly, not exactly sure how he was feeling. He was shocked sure, but also completely confused by her keeping something like this from him. He also didn't understand how he didn't put the pieces together; the morning sickness, the fatigue, mood swings, cravings, and the aches. Then at Dana's when she was around Oscar. It all made sense now.

"I couldn't Egon...I know you...this would have..." Hope stuttered out as she took her hands from her face, "I thought that it w-would be b-better if I never m-mentioned it. If I a-acted l-like it never h-happened."

"Hope..." Egon whispered and took one of her hands again, "I could have helped-"

"How? By f-falling apart w-with me? By s-suffering with me?" Hope looked up at him, pulling her hand from his. Her expression was scathing and eyes sorrowful, "Egon, it w-was my fault."

"It could have happened to anyone." Egon tried to rationalize as his tone became serious. He couldn't understand why she would honestly believe it was her fault. Or maybe- he thought- it's just survivor's guilt...,"You were hit by a drunk, Hope."

"I killed our baby!" Hope screamed out as she huffed and pushed the hair back from her face. She had thought the same thing over and over again since the accident. She thought that if Egon knew what had happened, what 'she' had done, then he would leave her, hate her, want absolutely nothing to do with her. That was enough for her to keep the secret until it had consumed her, but now she couldn't keep it any longer. Even if Egon hated her for it she couldn't 'trick' him into marrying her, "Me! I d-did! I killed our baby, Egon...!"

Hope fell into another fit of sobs, letting all of her anger, sadness, and guilt out. Hope gave a strained sob and closed her eyes tightly, gripping at the hair she held. Egon felt for the first time his steady hands shake as he watched the woman who was always so composed, who had been 'his' rock, his confidence when he needed her, crumble to pieces before him.

He had no idea what to say or what to do. He wasn't like Peter; outgoing, amusing, and smooth talking. He wasn't even like Ray; affectionate, happy-go-lucky, and warmly sympathetic. He was Egon; serious, straightforward, and logical. And here he was with the woman who was everything he wasn't and who he loved, unable to think of what to do or how to help her when she needed it most.

"I killed o-our baby that d-day..." Hope sobbed out as Egon looked over his sobbing fiancée and felt his heart shatter. Hope wrapped her arms around her belly again, "...I k-killed...t-this one...too..."

Egon tentatively reached out and pulled her to his chest, holding her head beneath his chin. All he could come up with to help her was let her cry, cry until she couldn't any more and then he would go from there. No, **they** would go from there.

"Everything is going to be alright...it wasn't your fault..." He whispered in her ear. He still wanted her. He loved her and wanted to marry her. He didn't blame her and that's what he told her repeatedly; over and over, "It wasn't your fault...we'll get through this...I promise..."


	22. Chapter 22: Which Would You Rather

Last chapter! Thank you all so much for the support and reviews! I am going to write a sequel to this so like I said before, be on the look out. It might take me some time to get it going since I am rewriting 'Stay Puft' now. I will try my very best to post one chapter of each, maybe, every two weeks or less. Thanks again!

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**We're the best. We're the beautiful. We're the Ghostbusters.**

Egon stood in the lab/living room, hair a mess, glasses smudged, and tired beyond anything he had felt before. He looked at the screen he stood before and then at the chart on a clipboard in his hands. He quickly scribbled something down, trying not to concentrate on other matters.

It had been two weeks since the whole 'baby' incident. Since then Hope had crawled into bed and refused to move or speak to anyone, including him. She was tired all the time now and ached everywhere, though she was still healing from the never ending wounds she seemed to acquire.

"Egon, what are you doing here so early?" Ray asked as he walked into the room with a soda in hand. He sat down on the couch and watched his friend carefully, noticing his appearance.

"Working Ray." Egon answered back, not bothering to turn around.

"On what? There hasn't been any paranormal sign since Vigo." Ray stated and wished he hadn't at the glare of Egon's eyes, "Oh..."

The room fell into an uneasy silence, the only sound being the scratching of Egon's notes and slurping of Ray's drinking.

"She's still not talking?" Ray asked though he knew the answer to be a firm yes. Egon turned around and looked at his longtime friend, shaking his head.

"No and now she refuses to eat anything."

"Strike maybe?" Ray suggested, trying to lighten the mood, but failing miserably.

"No, whatever she eats comes back up a minute later and she hates throwing up. Says she'd rather be shot." Egon moved across the room to a computer and typed something into it, logging the information he had written on the chart. Ray finished off his soda and set the empty can on the small table beside the couch.

"You guys still...?" Ray hinted towards something, knowing the subject at the moment would be touchy. He needed to know though, well actually he just _wanted _to know.

"Why don't you ask her?" Egon looked over at him from where he sat at the computer, temper rising, "She's the one who won't say either way."

"So, you still love her." Ray concluded leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees, feeling reassured about his longtime friend's answer.

"Of course I do." Egon looked down at the ground and then took his glasses from his head, rubbing his tired eyes.

"So, you're not leaving her?" Ray asked as Egon spun around in his chair again, eyes hard.

"Did she say I was?" He snapped, fed up with the onslaught of questions that seemed to make him look like the bad guy though he had done nothing wrong. Ray sat quietly for a moment and then shook his head slowly.

"Not exactly...when she was talking it sort of sounded like she had it in her head that you were...and you haven't exactly said that you _weren't_." Ray explained as he looked to the floor, unable to meet Egon's subtle but fierce gaze, "Think about it Egon."

"I have and I still don't understand." Egon answered honestly, feeling disappointed with himself.

"You two were in love, going to be married, got pregnant...everything was looking good for you two." Ray looked up at him and gave a sheepish look, "Then the accident happened and she lost the baby, didn't tell you because she was afraid, and now she might have lost a second. Wouldn't you be worried that the one you loved would leave you after all that?"

"...none of that was her fault. Not the accident or any of it." Egon replied softly and placed his glasses back on his head, "I don't blame her for any of it and I've told her that repeatedly."

"We know that, **she knows that**, but she's trying to convince herself that it was her fault to give a valid reason _if _you leave her." Ray nodded and leaned back on the couch. Ray thought about that for a moment and realized that it actually made a little sense, "You leave and there's nothing she _did _then her mind's gonna believe you just didn't want her, but if you leave and there's a reason like her killing your baby then she understands and maybe it'll be a little easier for her to live with. At the end of it all she just wants you, Egon and she was worried that she was going to lose you. So, she kept it a secret."

"And you know this how?" Peter walked into the room suddenly, hands in his coat pockets, "Because you're her brother or because you think like a woman, Ray?"

"Because I try and understand how people feel, unlike you Venkman." Ray retorted back to Peter's comment and looked back over at Egon. Peter gave a short cough and sat down on the couch beside Ray, "She thinks you're going to leave her."

"Alright Egon," Peter began as he crossed his legs and leaned back against the back of the couch, "go to Hope, tell her you love her and that you'll never leave and then make sweet, sweet love to her and live happily ever after, popping out babies every other year."

"Peter that's not how it works." Ray started, rubbing the back of his neck, "Especially with Hope."

"Oh, but it does my friend. Especially when there's a Princess that's locked away in a tower involved." Peter looked over at Egon, seriousness in his voice, "Hope in this case is the Princess if you couldn't figure it out egghead."

"Egon, don't listen to him." Ray commented as Egon stood from his seat.

"Peter's right." Egon quickly tore the white lab coat from him, "I need to make her understand that I'm not leaving her."

He ran out of the room and out the front door of the Ghostbusters building. Ray looked at Peter, shaking his head with an annoyed look.

"What happens if this goes bad?" He asked, everything in his body telling him that it would.

"There's always other White Knights." Peter commented, giving a shrug and stood from the couch, walking from the room, "Or Princesses!"

Egon had gotten in his car and drove as quickly as he could back to his and Hope's townhouse. He ran up the steps and unlocked the front door, shutting it quietly if Hope happened to be asleep at the moment. He walked up the stairs, a bouquet of white roses in one hand, and stopped in front of their door.

Taking a deep breath he turned the door knob and opened the door. His eyebrows knitted together at the empty bed and made before him as he walked further into the room. The drapes were pulled back, clothes picked up off the floor, and smelled as though perfume had been sprayed.

Egon sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the doors of the closed closet and then looked around the room once more, finding it odd. Especially since this morning he left it in a mess and as though something had exploded in the room.

He jumped up from the bed when he heard the toilet in bathroom flush and the water in the sink run. He took a deep breath, a smile coming to his lips as the door unlocked and Hope walked out from it.

"Egon..." Hope stopped dead in her step, holding something white in her hands. She wasn't expecting him to be back so soon and now that he stood before her she couldn't think of what to do. Egon recognized the small at home test and felt his hand holding the roses fall to his side as he stared at her, nervous and also excited.

"Is that...?" He couldn't seem to ask the entire question as Hope looked down at the object she held, nodding her head with a small smile.

"Yeah." She replied softly, staring down at the pregnancy test in her fingers.

"...are you?" Hope looked back at Egon and gave a small, tearful smile, trying to hide her fear.

"We'll know in a few minutes." She walked over to him and sat down on the edge of the bed, staring down at the test as though if she stared it down long enough she would get results faster. Egon sat beside her, roses in his lap, waiting with her as second after second ticked away slowly.

"Is this why you wanted to move the wedding date?" Egon asked after another few seconds passed. Hope nodded her head, unable to speak for the moment, waiting with anticipation and also worry.

"I didn't want to be too fat for my dress." Hope gave a small tearful laugh and sniffed, wiping a tear from her cheek, "Now I'd take being fat over losing another baby."

Egon looked down at the roses and then held them out to her. She looked over at them from the corner of her eyes and then at him.

"These are for you. I still don't understand why women want flowers from men." He responded trying to ease the tension the soft blue and white room had gathered. Hope took them with a small 'thank you' and smelled them, breathing deeply.

"It shows us that you thought enough about us to get us them." She replied as she smiled at them and laid them in her lap, looking back at the test.

They fell into another silence this one lasting longer. Hope stared at the blank test, swallowing the lump in her throat as her fingers tapped it gently. She licked her lips as more tears came to her eyes at her thoughts of losing another baby.

"What happens if I lost this one too...?" She asked softly, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall down her cheeks. Egon looked over at her, eyebrows knitted together at first as Ray's words resounded in his head. His look at her softened, understanding what Hope was really asking him.

"We'll try again," He started and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him, "and again and again and again...I would rather spend the rest of my life trying to have a baby with you and never having one then leaving you and having a kid with another woman."

"But what if I **can't** have anymore children because of all this? What then?" Hope let out a small sob at the end, trying to hold herself together because she was sick of crying so much. Egon placed a kiss to her head, trying to think about what they would do _if _they couldn't have children together. Egon pulled back from her and cupped her wet cheeks in his hands.

"I won't ever leave you, Hope." Egon watched as Hope blinked and then wrapped her arms around him, knowing that he was being truthful. For the first time he felt as though being nothing like Peter or Ray was good because he was Egon; straightforward, logical, and serious and he wasn't **ever** going to leave Hope.

"Good." Hope gave a small laugh as she and Egon moved back on the bed against the headboard. Hope looked back at the test, seeing the answer appearing on it, and then turned it over, taking a deep breath to calm herself, "...if I am pregnant..."

She began, licking her lips and placing the test on the nightstand beside the bed. She wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned against his shoulder.

"Would rather a boy or girl?" She asked softly, closing her eyes and letting a yawn escaped her lips. Egon wrapped his own arms around her and leaned his head on hers, thinking about the question.

"I would be happy with either." He replied and kissed her hair softly, closing his eyes.

"Me too." Hope agreed as they both fell asleep soon after, holding each other tightly. The roses had been placed on the nightstand beside the bed with the test where one small word had appeared on it:

_PREGNANT_


End file.
